While the internet gives countless advantages to businesses, it also poses a significant number of vulnerabilities that put naïve business owners at risk. As the amount of information shared through the web keeps increasing every second, those with mala fide intentions also keep looking for newer ways to steal.
While taking your business completely offline is no longer possible, there are other ways you can prevent your business data from falling into the wrong hands. Enhancing online security is one of them. Often, with online security, prevention is better than cure. Once the system security gets compromised, it takes time, effort and resources to restore access. It also becomes unlikely to have all lost data recovered completely.
Read on to find how you can make sure your business stays safe online.
The Basics
A firewall is one of the primary requirements of a safe computer network. Although they do not protect you from viruses and spyware, they do a great job at implementing pre-set security rules in organisational computer networks. This prevents outside systems from accessing your intranet. Firewalls also limit the activity of employees, when they accidentally stumble upon unsolicited content and dangerous websites.
On the other hand, a reputable antivirus program can protect your enterprise from malware, spyware and viruses that breach your firewalls. Such programs can enter your network through seemingly harmless e-mails, audio-video, text and even image files. However, the antivirus program should be regularly updated, either manually or automatically. This way, it can tackle the latest forms of threats.
Data Protection
Hackers have a difficult time penetrating the multi-layered defences of large corporations that spend millions on online data protection and hence, small businesses become easier targets. This does not mean that solo entrepreneurs and small business owners cannot do much. For instance, every business, regardless of size, can use data encryption for communication and protect customer data from being interpreted en-route.
Log-in Safety
Make sure your passwords are not simple and easy to guess. Strong passwords are combinations of letters both in upper and lower cases, numbers and symbols.
MFA/2FA (multi-factor or two-factor authentication) are safeguards that prevent unauthorised log-in to your systems. This would prevent hacking attempts, even if your primary password is compromised. A report by Microsoft suggests that 99.9% of online attacks can be prevented through multi-factor authentication!
Security Scans
An overall manual security check of your systems from time to time can often showcase a flaw before it gets utilised by hackers. Make sure all your software is up to date and all information sharing is through authorised channels.
Regardless of access levels and designations, it is a good idea to educate your employees on the importance of online safety. Cyber Security Courses are a great way to understand the implementation of security strategies, assessing risks, testing systems and regulating protocols for complete network security. A good course equips business owners and employees with the latest know-how in preventing and tackling even the most sophisticated cyber-attacks.
