As a cybersecurity provider, EIS Consulting believes every day should be treated as Cybersecurity Awareness Day! The top 5 cybersecurity service areas you need to focus on today to strengthen your cybersecurity framework against cybercrime follow.
WHAT IS CYBERCRIME?
Cybercrime is usually committed by hackers who want to make money. It can be carried out by an individual or an entire underground operation and can vary with the level of sophistication. However, there are certain instances where cybercrime will be committed for other reasons, such as a disgruntled employee – which is less common, but still a threat.
YEAH, BUT THEY’RE ONLY ATTACKING BIG BUSINESS, RIGHT?
Wrong. This is a common misconception likely fueled by the vast amounts of attention that larger corporations receive when a breach occurs, but small and medium-sized businesses are just as vulnerable as larger ones. They are less likely to have the cybersecurity systems in place to prevent and detect an attack and also less likely to recover from an attack without paying the ransom or fee demanded of them.
It’s important to note that no one can make your business 100% safe from a breach occurring and proper security protocols need to weigh both the usability for employees and the security of the organization. As you increase security, the usability drops so it’s very much a balancing act. The most secure computer in the world is one that’s unplugged from the power – but you won’t be able to do much with it, right?
THE TOP 5 CYBERSECURITY SERVICE AREAS TO FOCUS ON:
1. Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) Policy
In our work-from-home environment that still promotes team collaboration, more organizations than ever are allowing employees to work with their own devices. This could be anything from using a personal cell phone to access company email to a personal laptop or tablet to access company resources. And while this is great, you need to evaluate several key things, including what would happen to your organization if that device was lost, stolen or breached.
A BYOD policy outlines how employees can use their devices to access company resources (if at all) and is used to enforce the Mobile Device Management (MDM) policy that will be used to protect your organizational resources. It will have several key elements in it including the ability to grant access to sensitive data only through trusted networks, encrypting data on the device to prevent unauthorized access, enforcing strong password policies, and the ability to remotely wipe company resources in the event of a lost device.
A BYOD policy can get complex and there are a lot of moving parts to it, so please don’t hesitate to reach out to us if you would like some assistance with getting one implemented and enforced.
2. Set security standards using multifactor authentication & strong passwords
It’s very important to look at the passwords that are in use throughout your organization. Are they strong passwords that are stored in a password manager or are they weak passwords that are sitting in a text file on the desktop?
Using a password manager is important in protecting your business because it enables employees to feel comfortable creating more complex passwords. It also makes logging into your company resources a breeze with auto-fill capabilities.
Another important aspect of your passwords is the use of multifactor authentication (MFA). Someone could have your password and be able to authenticate that way, but the second factor (usually a text sent to your phone or push notification to an app on your phone) will stop them from getting access.
3. Disaster Recovery plan
Building a solid disaster recovery plan is paramount to your organization surviving a cyberattack. This is because you will be planning for important details such as backing up your critical IT systems, testing the backups regularly, evaluating your goals in the event of a disaster and identifying what IT assets will be involved.
4. Staff training
Training your staff on the best way to spot phishing attempts and to be more cautious and alert when browsing the internet is another very important task at hand. As your trusted IT solutions partner, we want to make sure everyone in the organization from the executive to the intern is aware of how to stay safe both online and offline, and why protecting the organization’s data and security is an important part of their daily responsibilities.
5. Update your applications regularly
Regularly updating your applications will help keep the organization’s IT infrastructure more secure. This is because software vendors issue important security updates and patches to their systems on a regular
basis. Trying to keep the upper hand on cybercriminals means software companies are regularly trying to break into their own software and patch it before the criminals get to it.
GET HELP FROM AN IT SOLUTIONS PARTNER
If you’re looking for an IT solutions partner who will walk with you through every step of the way and assist with making some of these critical cybersecurity decisions, please schedule a call with our team today. We’ll talk you through the options that are available to you so you get a full understanding of how your organization operates. That way, we can make the appropriate recommendations regarding your IT environment and infrastructure.