The bad news is that cyberattacks are becoming more common, more effective, and more accessible to bad actors. The good news is that there are several proven, effective actions you can take to secure your business and your personal data right now.
#1 – Apply security updates
While updates and patches sometimes add features or aesthetic appeal, they’re usually pushed out to strengthen security vulnerabilities and other problems with a program. Not allowing your computer, mobile, or tablet to update your apps and software is a bit like leaving a hole in your fence. Sure, no one may notice it for a while, but it is a hole in your security that undermines all your other security efforts.
#2 – Improve your passwords
Start by downloading a password manager and then go through all your passwords, changing them to strong passwords that use a combination of upper- and lower-case levels, numbers, and characters. Most password managers will generate a strong password automatically and then store it securely for you, so the only password you really need to remember is the one you need to access your password manager.
#3 – Teach people to protect themselves
No matter the level of our role or our industry, all of us need to use the internet in our daily lives. Unfortunately, most of us aren’t IT security specialists, so we don’t easily recognise when we’re at risk. IT security training helps to correct this and change people from targets that cyberattackers try to exploit into active defence agents working against these attacks. And, as a bonus, this training will help your employees keep their personal data and devices safe too!
#4 – Know your network
It’s difficult to protect anything if you don’t know what exactly it is that you’re protecting. Start by identifying all devices and users on your network. Then, remove all unauthorised devices and reconfigure permissions to limit access to those people who need them. For example, people in payroll administration roles won’t need access to project information. This means you can monitor your network to see if any device is acting suspiciously, be alerted when unauthorised devices try to gain access, and limit the damage if a hacker does infiltrate a particular device.
#5 – Limit third-party access
Today’s businesses are highly integrated with third parties and their supply chains, which is great for communication and efficiency. But the problem is that even if your IT security is good, it can be bypassed completely if a third party on your network with poor security is compromised. This will give hackers the ability to walk through all your security measures unnoticed because that third party has been granted access. Instead, work with third parties to bolster security, and limit their access to your network to just the data and functionality their role requires.
At Otto, we help businesses to protect data effectively while allowing you to use it efficiently, shielding client data and sensitive information from hackers and malware while helping you collect operational data to improve processes, customer service, and more. Chat to our team today for IT security that works.
Milan is the CEO at Otto – where his focus is changing IT up. Milan is highly focused and skilled in Storage, IT Service Management, IT Strategy, Professional Services, and Servers.
