Modern businesses operate through an increasing number of devices and file sharing among employees.
Businesses benefit from a highly connected network to facilitate work processes and coordinate tasks more efficiently. However, more devices mean more potential entry points for hacking attacks.
Vulnerability to cybercrime grows exponentially with the volume of your working system. As a business owner, you should take the time to ensure data security and keep your business network as secure as possible.
To give you a hand, here is a list of five ways to minimize risk and ultimately create a fortress to protect your sensitive data.
Top-of-the-line antivirus software provides multi-layered protection against viruses, malware, ransomware, spyware, and potential data breaches that follow a successful hacking attack.
To keep all your files and folders tidy and safe from prying eyes, you should consider installing a reliable antivirus on all your work network devices. Unless you have disabled file sharing on your network, you should ensure that all of your employees can share data using secure encryption.
You can take advantage of features like active disk cloning to set up a copy of the Windows or Mac system in use. You can also expect simplified file management, optimized space usage, and more efficient file transfer.
The National Institute of Standards and Technology develops technologies, measurements, and standards to drive innovation and competitiveness for U.S.-based organizations, primarily in the science and technology industry.
However, even if you run a business in a different industry, you can still benefit from NIST guidelines.
In general, NIST provides a framework for safety documents, publications, and entire organizations. They outline a slew of cybersecurity guidelines, including security requirements for file protection, vendor eligibility, system optimization, and more.
Performing a network audit can identify and assess the following:
- Potentially exploitable vulnerabilities within the system
- Open Ports
- Overall firewall strength
- Performance of antivirus and antimalware software
- Unused apps running in the background
- The overall level of health and security of your servers, software and applications
- The robustness of data backups
Following the audit, you can use the detailed report to take stock of your security and possibly protect your corporate network more optimally.
A web application firewall (WAF) protects customer data (personal contact details, purchase information) and prevents your employees from accidentally visiting malicious sites.
Wi-Fi Protected Access uses encrypted protocols for router passwords. To protect your corporate network, it is best to enable WPA2 to deny unauthorized access to your devices.
Moreover, you can use IPS or IDS to effectively detect and prevent cyber threats. The software detects worms or viruses and cancels their impact on the spot.
To complete the package, you can configure a virtual private network (VPN) to secure the connection between remote computers (home, mobile) and local devices in your office. Having a VPN greatly reduces the chances of a successful hacking breach.
We’ve mentioned file protection software, but let’s kick it up a notch.
On-site cyber protection increases your defenses against cybercrime, optimizes your system, facilitates file management and protects against malware remote computer access.
For starters, you can replicate local backups to a cloud via cloud security software; this ensures double protection, as you store files securely on and off your main network. You can automate backups, monitor them, and initiate universal restores at any time.
Full backup of images, files, and folders ensures real-time protection, provides additional security against ransomware and crypto-jacking, and enhances data security through on-demand vulnerability assessments and virus scans.
Additionally, you can enable web filtering to block malicious URLs, use AES-256 end-to-end encryption on all your files, use video conferencing protection, create user-defined passwords, implement electronic signatures and balance the processor load in the system.
Bring your own device is both a significant efficiency booster and a challenge for businesses around the world.
If your employees bring their laptops, tablets and smartphones to work and use them to do business, then you need a BYOD security policy to protect your corporate network.
Enterprises and SMBs benefit from employees using their own devices; which reduces the cost of purchasing and maintaining company equipment. However, external devices, if left unprotected, can be devastating to an office network.
Defining a stellar BYOD cybersecurity policy is crucial to avoiding hacking attacks, data breaches, and compromised systems.
Here is a basic overview of BYOD security requirements:
- Review and assess the apps and assets your employees are allowed to access through their personal devices
- Calculate the minimum security check required for these devices
- Make sure each device works with SSL certificates for authentication
- Implement data erasure protocols for stolen or lost personal devices
Additionally, training your employees on BYOD guidelines and cybersecurity best practices is essential.
If they know how to protect their devices from cyber threats, your corporate network will operate at a higher level of security. As a bonus, comprehensive cyber protection training will relieve you and ensure long-term cyber security for the entire company.
Summary
Running a successful and secure business can be challenging in today’s cyber threat landscape.
Owners should be aware of weak links in system security, monitor, investigate and deny potentially exploitable entry points for hackers.
File protection software, NIST rating, on-premises cyber protection, cloud security software, and BYOD security policies are simply the cornerstones of a secure desktop system.
Antivirus, encryption, and trained employees are essential to protecting your corporate network and minimizing the risk of a successful hacker attack.
The process of optimizing your network takes time and effort, but you don’t have to do it alone. You can seek professional cybersecurity assistance to create comprehensive network protection, closely monitor possible weak spots, and innovate to negate the risk of compromising sensitive data.
