Introduction
Cybersecurity is a hot topic, but it’s still not getting the attention it deserves. The average company loses $12.7 million per year due to cybercrime. Cyberattacks are so common that they’re quickly becoming part of our everyday lives—and yet companies are still not taking the time to protect themselves from them. If you have a business and aren’t doing everything in your power to protect yourself against cyber threats, here is a quick list of ways you can improve your cybersecurity:
Get a baseline of your network
The first step to improving your network security is to get a baseline of what it looks like now. A baseline is the state of your network and the devices on it before you start making changes.
For example, if you want to make sure that all of your workstations have antivirus software installed, then having a baseline will show you how many computers don’t have antivirus software installed and give you an idea of how much time would be needed for each computer in order for them all to be updated with antivirus software. This way, when someone asks how long it would take them (or anyone else) they can look at their own numbers instead of just estimation based off other people’s experiences or hearsay from coworkers who might not know as much about computers as they think they do!
Keep your security software up-to-date.
- Keep your security software up-to-date.
Security software is updated regularly, and it’s important that you keep your system up to date with the latest protection. You can do this by installing automatic updates or manually checking for them every few weeks (or even daily). Often, there will be a pop-up message when an update is available; if not, check out the website for your chosen software and look for an “Update” button or link on that page.
If you’re using Microsoft Windows 10 or MacOS High Sierra (10.13), updating should happen automatically as part of its system maintenance features; otherwise, see if there’s an option in the settings menu where you can enable automatic updates–this ensures that all necessary patches will get installed without requiring any action from yourself!
Popular examples include: Avast Free Antivirus; AVG AntiVirus Free Edition; Bitdefender Free Edition Antivirus Software
Use multi-factor authentication
Multi-factor authentication (MFA) is a security measure that requires you to provide two or more pieces of information before being granted access to your account. For example, if you want to log in from an unfamiliar device or location, MFA may ask for a code sent via text message or generated by an app on your smartphone. This second piece of information can help prevent hackers from accessing your account even if they’ve stolen one piece of sensitive data like your password.
In addition to helping keep hackers out, MFA also makes it easier for legitimate users who have lost their passwords because they can use something else–like their phone number–to get back into their accounts quickly without having to reset everything from scratch!
Train yourself and your employees on cybersecurity best practices.
Training yourself and your employees on cybersecurity best practices is one of the most important things you can do to improve your business’s security. It’s also one of the easiest ways to prevent costly mistakes and fines from regulatory agencies like the SEC or FTC.
In order to make sure that you’re getting all of the most important information out there, we’ve compiled a list of topics that should be covered during training sessions:
- How does encryption work?
- What is ransomware, exactly? And how do I protect myself from it?
- What steps can I take today so my data isn’t hacked tomorrow?
Create and maintain a real-time backup of important data.
If you want to keep your business safe from cyber threats, then creating and maintaining a real-time backup of important data is one of the most important things you can do. This will ensure that if something happens to your computer or server (and it will), there’s no way for hackers to steal all of your information.
- Backup regularly–Backups should be done on a regular basis so that they don’t become outdated by the time they’re needed. Ideally, this means backing up every day or at least once per week so that any changes made during those periods are captured in the backup file as well.
- Back up locally–When choosing where to store your backups, consider both physical location and accessibility; ideally both locations should be secure but easy enough for employees who need access at any given time (such as IT staff)
Encrypt sensitive data on hard drives and other storage devices, including laptops and smartphones.
Encrypting sensitive data on hard drives, smartphones and laptops makes it harder for a hacker to access. You can use an encryption program to encrypt your files and folders, or you can use a cloud service that provides end-to-end encryption. Some operating systems have built-in tools for encrypting files as well as communication between devices (like Apple’s iMessage).
Encryption is not foolproof–it’s possible that hackers could find ways around it–but it definitely makes life more difficult for them and should be considered part of any good cybersecurity plan
Limit access to critical information only to those with a need to know it.
- Limit access to critical information only to those with a need to know it.
- Always use strong passwords and a secure password manager, like 1Password or LastPass, that generates random passwords for you.
- Enforce two-factor authentication (2FA) on every app where possible — especially if it’s your bank account!
Keep personal information safe from unauthorized access and disclosure.
- Don’t share your passwords with anyone.
- Use different passwords for each site you use, and don’t reuse them.
- If you have sensitive information on your computer, don’t leave it there when you’re not using the machine.
- Don’t give out personal information over the phone or via email unless you know who is asking for it (and why).
These actions can help you improve your business’s cybersecurity
To-do list for improving your business’s cybersecurity:
- Know where you stand. Before you can improve, it’s important to know how well or poorly your business is currently doing in terms of cybersecurity. You may not have the resources or expertise to perform an internal audit yourself, but there are plenty of third-party organizations that do offer this service at reasonable rates (including [company name]). There are also several free online tools that provide basic information about a website’s security status and suggest improvements based on those results.
- Know what improvements need to be made. Once you’ve determined where improvement is needed, it’s time for some serious introspection about whether or not those changes will actually make a difference–or even if they’re worth making at all! This step should involve brainstorming with colleagues as well as anyone else who could provide input regarding what changes would benefit them most personally when using our services/products etcetera…
- Learn how exactly we plan on implementing these recommendations once approved by management here at HQ.”
Conclusion
As you can see, there are many things that you can do to improve your business’s cybersecurity. It may seem like a lot at first glance, but if you take it one step at a time and make sure that each part of your plan is completed before moving on to the next one then it will be much easier. For example, when creating your plan start by making sure all computers have up-to-date software installed and then move onto training employees on how they should handle sensitive information.
