Can you afford to delay these security fundamentals?

I was going to sort it out later. I was too busy. Someone else was in charge of that. I was waiting for the new person to start. I thought it all updated automatically. There wasn’t enough budget this year. I didn’t think anyone would target someone like us….

Some of the reasons that are given when it’s too late. There is no good time to be the victim of a cyber-attack but having the correct protection in place will put your business in the best position to thwart cyber-criminals. No security solutions or procedures can ever claim to be 100% effective, as attacks continuously evolve to evade detection, however there are some fundamental steps that can be taken to minimise risks.

Multi-layered Security

Basic security provided by operating systems, whilst increasingly robust, does not provide the diverse layers of security required in a modern workplace. Ensuring basic settings such as Multifactor Authentication are turned on are essential, but other layers such as back-up solutions, password managers and anti-phishing software, increase these layers to ensure if one aspect is breached further security measures are in place.

Security Reviews

Whether you have internal resources looking after your IT or outsource it, regular Security Reviews are essential. Whatever systems you use, security updates will be released on a regular basis including patches for vulnerabilities. Regularly checking these updates and patches have deployed correctly is key to avoiding gaps in your security. Security Reviews can also look at individuals that may not be adhering to company policies and allow you to train and educate these employees.

Training

Employees are and always will be a business’s biggest weakness when it comes to cyber-security. Whilst policies can force certain measures such as how robust a password is, there are numerous other ways cyber-weakness can manifest itself. Phishing emails are one of the main ways hackers infiltrate businesses. Social Engineering of information is something many individuals are unaware of and where hackers can gain valuable intelligence. Behaviours as simple as leaving devices laying around or unlocked are commonplace. As more companies embrace Hybrid Working and Bring Your Own Device employee security flaws increase.

Disaster Recovery

Although security solutions are designed to prevent cyber-attacks, it is imperative there is a disaster recovery plan in place should an attack be successful.  Back-up solutions play a key part in disaster recovery, allowing you to revert your systems to a point in time before an attack took place. How often you back up, and how long it will take you to make up the time and data lost between a back-up point and attack, are all considerations that should be taken when implementing a disaster recovery plan.

Any of the above will strengthen your cyber-security protection and implementing all will put you in a great position against hackers. It’s important to make sure your business gets ahead of the curve and doesn’t end up looking back in hindsight on the security measures you planned to put in place.