Cyber Hygiene: 5 Tips for Keeping Your Business Safe from Cyber Threats
Cyber threats are becoming more dangerous and more prominent, with hackers taking a shotgun approach to get whatever they can. As attacks continue to escalate, it's more important than ever to ensure that you're taking the right steps to protect your business. To help you with this complex endeavour, we've put together the following list of tips. Work through them sequentially to create a safer environment within your business.
Have a Good IT Team
The first thing you're going to want to do is ensure that you've got a good IT team on your side. This could mean hiring an internal IT department if you have the budget and would like to do things in-house. However, it’s often better to enlist the services of managed IT service providers in Melbourne or your nearest major city.
These outsourced IT providers can ensure all precautions and safety measures are properly implemented in your business. While an in-house team generally clocks off at the end of the workday, the best managed service providers offer 24/7 monitoring and support. Best of all, they can create a bespoke support package designed to suit your budget.
Keep Software Updated
While it can be tempting to ignore the annoying pop-ups that interrupt your work and demand that you restart your laptop, this isn't a good idea. Updates are released for many reasons (such as UI redesign, new features being added, and bugs being addressed). However, the most important reason a developer will send out an update is security. Patches are commonly released to lock down vulnerabilities that have been discovered before they can be exploited, so it's vital that you always action updates on company devices.
Enable Multi-Factor Authentication
Multi-factor authentication (MFA) is a nuisance, and it means you'll always have to have your phone nearby or a secondary email address to use for confirmation. What it also means, however, is that it will be far harder for hackers to get into your account.
Far too many people have passwords that are easy to guess, and this leaves their accounts vulnerable. If you use the same password for multiple accounts, you’re even more at risk. By enforcing MFA, you can greatly reduce your risk as secondary authentication will be required for all new logins.
Train Staff in Cyber Safety
Another key component in protecting your business against cyber threats is to train staff in cyber security. They don't need to be experts, but a little training regarding phishing, passwords, WiFi connections, and the dangers of USB devices can go a long way toward protecting your business. After all, it only takes one staff member to click the wrong link to infect your whole network. On the flip side, this risk can be greatly reduced by simply ensuring your whole team has an appropriate level of knowledge. Additionally, it's beneficial for staff to understand the difference between NBN and fibre internet, as this knowledge can aid in making informed decisions for your business's operational planning.
Always Keep Backups
Systems can go down for many reasons, but if yours drops out because someone with nefarious intentions has gotten in, there's a strong chance that your data won't be recoverable. For this reason (and for general protection against data loss) it is always a good idea to make use of quality enterprise backup and disaster recovery software. That way, you know you're covered in the event of a system issue.
Cybercrime is on the rise, and even the smallest businesses need to remain vigilant if they want to stay safe. The tips outlined in this article are a good starting point, but it's important to regularly review and update your cyber strategy as the online landscape is always changing. Good luck.