We’ve seen it more since Covid-19 reared its head and more people started working remotely. Businesses and their data are at risk from cyber attacks. Having employees at home only increases the danger. Staff may be using programs and computers that they’ve never used before, and are accessing the internet for almost everything they do.
As a business, you need to take steps to protect your data and keep hackers at bay. There are many threats out there, and they could strike at any time. They know what types of businesses typically have looser security measures, and they will do whatever they can to take advantage. Here are some easy tips to help increase your cyber security and keep everything secure.
Office Culture
Building a culture of security in your workplace and amongst your staff does not have to be hard. You want everyone to be on the same page and working to keep everything locked up as tight as possible. No matter what kind of experience or comfort they have with computers and electronic devices, you need to provide training on how to safely and securely use them. Even with all the training in the world, if your staff isn’t completely bought in, then they may end up taking shortcuts and causing you major headaches.
For one, it’s important to communicate with everyone how important security is. Remind them that a data breach could have serious repercussions for the business. You could lose a lot of revenue as customers lose trust, which could mean layoffs and other tough financial choices. If your staff understands that their jobs could be on the line if there is a data breach, then they are more likely to work with you. Have weekly meetings, send out email reminders, and provide regular training so that everyone understands why measures are needed, and what procedures they must follow to help.
Password Management
There are more and more programs, databases, and applications that require passwords now. Long gone are the days when you might have stored everything on your hard drive or even in a filing cabinet. No, today everything is stored digitally, whether it be on a shared server or within a software service. Getting the job done in a modern workplace means having a cloud-based CRM, payment system, invoicing system, and any number of other business tasks. Every piece of software requires a password, and if a password is guessed or gets leaked, then you will be at risk of a data breach.
You can prevent this by implementing strong password measures. That means that you and your staff should not have simple, short, or even one word passwords. Do not use your dog, or your favorite baseball player when you were a kid. Make your passwords long, and use as many random elements as possible. This includes having them be several words, using capitalization in unusual places, and having numbers as well as letters.
Having more complicated passwords can mean that it’s hard to remember them. Do not save them on a piece of paper or on a notebook. If you happen to lose it, then your passwords will be out in the public for anyone to see and steal. Plus, if you set something up, perhaps on your phone, while you are away from the office, you might not have your notebook with you. Lucky, you can make use of a password vault. This will keep track of your passwords for you, and even autofill on the appropriate services so that you don’t have to remember them all. When you update them, they will update automatically. It makes it simple, and it makes things secure, so you can rest easy.
Keep Up With Updates
How many times have you gotten an alert about an update to your phone or your laptop and you ignore it? Or, you try to avoid having it updated even in the middle of the night because you don’t want to mess up anything that you are working on? You probably think that your device is working just fine as it is, so there’s no need to worry about an update.
However, you could not be more wrong. Device and operating system updates are crucial to maintain security and protect against cyber attacks. Most of the time these updates are for providing security patches to strengthen a weakness that has been identified. Hackers and criminals are very sophisticated and they are always changing their methods. Software and device updates will help you keep up with the hackers as best as possible.
Multi-Factor Authorization
Having strong passwords is the first step to protecting yourself. However, sometimes a password is not enough. For very sensitive information, you should consider multi-factor authorization. They work along with your password to give you extra security. For example, it could be that after you enter your password, you will also get a notification to your phone with another passcode. That way, if someone steals your password, they still cannot access your data without also having your phone. Extra authorization can also take the form of biometric data, like fingerprints or facial recognition.
Don’t leave your business at risk. In this day and age, you absolutely have to protect yourself against hackers and criminals. A data breach could mean disaster for your brand and your revenue. It doesn’t have to be hard to make necessary changes. Follow these tips to increase your security against cyber attacks.
