Businesses are attacked daily by opportunists who want to extract money from your business or simply want to watch it fall. Today we will look at ways you can prevent your business from having its data compromised.
Strong passwords
Strong passwords can keep your user’s data safe. If you have staff with weak passwords, this could compromise your entire business operations. To make strong passwords, you should make sure you have an operating procedure in place that highlights what a password has to be. For example, you could say that a password has to have:
- A minimum of 10 characters.
- It can’t be a known entity or common name.
- It can’t be a child’s or spouse’s name.
- It can’t be simple like “12345678910” or “qwerty.”
There are apps out there that can generate and save strong passwords for you when it comes to passwords. If you require your staff to access your network, make sure they use strong passwords.
You can use multi-factor authentication, too, when it comes to passwords. Setting this up on a personal device will allow you to confirm that you are the person logging into the device and will keep your system better protected than before. For multi-factor authentication, you can use a facial id, fingerprint scanning, or an app to confirm it’s you logging into your account.
Use Malware and Virus software
Malware attacks and viruses can be deadly to a business, and it’s estimated that within six months of a cyberattack, most businesses will go out of business. Using software to prevent you from opening unknown files on your network could save you from being infected.
You can download free versions of anti-malware and anti-virus software, so there’s no excuse for not using them to protect your business.
Having Security protocols in place
Data breaches can occur when someone in the office brings in malicious code without realizing it. This is often done through opening emails that they shouldn’t have. Having security protocols in place will give your staff information on what to do when they receive an email from someone they don’t know or an email with a file attached.
Scammers often target company emails, so teaching your staff what to do and having software in place to stop the attacks from happening will help.
It’s also a good idea to have someone in your office aware of the latest cybercrimes and scams so they can relay these to your staff when they occur. This keeps everyone in your office more vigilant and less likely to fall for them.
Creating backups of your data
Sometimes all of the security in the world isn’t enough to stop attackers if they are determined to cause you damage. Creating backups of your data and your clients will ensure that you won’t lose or be locked out of your data if an attack does happen.
Backups don’t have to be expensive, and various cloud-based tools can back up your data on a set schedule. You can use something as simple as dropbox or consult with an IT support company that can advise on the best practices for data backup.
Physical security measures.
Sometimes your office can be targeted and can be physically broken into. Your computers could then be vulnerable, so our advice would be to have a sound alarm system. You should also lock your server room and only give access to people who need to be there.
Biometric access is a bonus since this guarantees only the people you trust access to your most important data. If your employees are working from home, you should have a plan. There have been countless stories where people have lost vital data in public or had it stolen. If your staff takes hardware home, the password protects it and encrypts your data.
Losing a laptop can be expensive, but giving access to your private data or your customer’s data can worsen.
Finally, you can security mark your computers and other hardware with invisible ink, making recovering your stolen goods much more accessible.
Preventing accidents and damage to your system and data.
Accidents can happen in the workplace, and floods, fires, and natural disasters can’t be accounted for. However, if you work in any sort of computing or flammable environment, there are other things you can do to prevent accidents. ESD Flooring or antistatic flooring, for example, can protect your hardware from static shocks, which can destroy your data.
Spills in the office are another way your equipment and data can get damaged. Our advice would be to not allow any liquids around your hardware and to have a designated area where your staff can eat and drink.
Your hardware can also get stolen especially if you work in a shared working environment; where possible, try to lock them down; if this isn’t possible, never let your equipment out of your site.
You can purchase items such as laptop locks or even more robust laptops that can take a spill or a fall if your business requires it. These items may cost more upfront, but long term could save your business money.
Conclusion
Protecting your business from external and internal threats can differ between staying in business or going bankrupt. Security threats can have severe financial damage to a company, and if you don’t put steps into place to tackle them, it could be the end of your company as you know it.
Most of the tips in this article should be used with common sense, and if your budget allows it, you should implement them as soon as possible to protect your entire infrastructure.
The changes in this article aren’t too costly and could save your business if someone wanted to carry out a malicious attack on it.
