Protecting your business from cyber threats means protecting your bottom line. The year 2020 saw a record number of DDOS attacks on corporate assets [1]. Needless to say, filling gaps in your cybersecurity is more important than ever.
Planning, policy making and staff training should all go into a concerted effort aimed to tackle the ever present threat of cyber attack. Having the personnel and systems in place to counter cyber risks thoroughly, your security efforts can function like a well-oiled machine. These are the 5 key strategies you’ll need to safeguard your company against today’s cyber security threats:
1. Automate Software Updates
With each software update that comes out, there are bound to be bugs. Hackers can exploit these glitches in the code, which is why new updates come out to “patch” the bugs.
As soon as an update comes out for your system’s software, such as an update to Windows, you don’t want to wait while your data remains vulnerable.
To minimize the time hackers have to exploit bugs in your software, deploy a patch management software, such as Automox or Ivanti. Doing so automates the updates of software as soon as they’re needed by monitoring and discovering new available updates.
2. Weekly Cyber Security Audits
Having capable IT experts on your team is important. But having a second pair of eyes specializing in cybersecurity is incredibly valuable. Cyber security auditors are continually staying up to date with the latest exploit hackers are using, and they can use them against you to test your security level.
With their experience testing various companies, cyber security auditors can offer the most expertise. Ideally, you’d want an external auditor checking in once a week. However, you can get away with bringing one in on a monthly basis to assess security vulnerabilities when you have solid internal auditing methods in place.
3. Secure All Data with Cloud Encryption
With employees accessing company data from home on their own Wi-Fi connections, data security measures need to be built into the software employees use. This way they can access what they need, wherever they want to access it. Of course, it’s important to only give privileges to those who truly need them. Security-minded cloud computing software like Microsoft Azure can log user access and monitor activities to detect hacking attempts.
4. Create a Cyber Attack Incident Response Plan
Obviously, you want to implement all the software and strategies required to prevent incidents like ransomware or malware attacks. As the saying goes, “prepare for the worst and hope for the best.”
Create an incident response strategy that clearly explains what will happen when the company is under cyber attack. Think through the scenarios that could occur and sit down to determine a consensus on what steps should be taken to respond. In addition to testing your cyber security strength, you also want to test your company’s resilience and ability to respond to an attack. Run IT disaster drills to help employees learn what to do.
5. Train Your Staff in Basic Cyber Security
Criminal hackers often rely on tricking employees to breach a company’s cyber security. This is why training your employees on cyber security basics is critical. Encourage practices such as regular password changes and locking one’s computer when away. In addition, teach employees how to spot possible phishing attacks, such as suspicious emails.
Keep your staff regularly updated and remind them to remain vigilant to cyber intrusion. Fostering a workplace culture with IT security at the forefront can go a long way in keeping your business’s data and customers’ privacy secure.
Final Thoughts
As technology advances, so too does the sophistication of hackers. With data as the lifeblood of most companies, training staff on the importance of cyber security helps safeguard against human error. Prioritizing frequent auditing is a must in today’s fast-paced digital environment. Automating software updates with patch management software and switching to cloud computing are some of the best ways to fight corporate cyber crime.