When running a business, no matter the size of the company, it’s important to keep cybersecurity in mind. Today, there is an ever-increasing risk of cyber attacks for all businesses, which can devastate a business.
In some severe cases, a cyber attack can ruin a company, and in less extreme cases, it’ll likely tarnish your reputation and result in a lot of damage control being required.
To reduce the risk of a successful cyber-attack against your business and the loss of incredibly important data such as bank details and personal details of customers, clients, employees, and business partners, you should spend time improving your company’s cybersecurity.
To help you undertake this task, we’ve listed a number of helpful ways you can do and stave off those potentially business-busting attacks.
Make Use Of Great Tech Tools
As a business owner, it is your responsibility to ensure that your team has everything they need at their disposal to conduct their work to a high standard, but when it comes to cybersecurity, they will also need access to tools that can improve this area, too.
This includes using tools such as firewalls, antivirus software, and intrusion detection systems to protect your network and devices from cyber-attacks. You could also have your IT team implement two-factor authentication for access to sensitive information and even implement encryption for data in transit and at rest.
This can provide an extra layer of security and improve your peace of mind. You’ll also want to provide your IT department with the tools to help them offer quality tech support to your team, such as remote desktop support software.
One of the best alternatives to TeamViewer is TSplus, and this innovative tool will allow your IT team to connect to each of your team’s devices and rectify any errors remotely. This can help them target and fix any potential security vulnerabilities that may be caused by one of these devices or an app on the device, reducing the overall risk of a data breach.
Enforce A Company-Wide Security Policy
When searching for ways to secure your business properly against potential cyber threats, it’s essential to have a thorough security policy in place. It can be a fairly complicated and lengthy process to create a policy like this, but it’s important to do it regardless.
This policy should include guidelines for all of your employees to recognize and report potential threats, as well as protocols that can help guide you in managing sensitive information and the access you give to your systems and network users.
Proving that you’ve got a quality cybersecurity policy in place is also extremely beneficial as it shows your clients and business partners that you take the storage of their data seriously, and in the process of proving this, you will also feel more confident that this policy isn’t just for show.
Attaining ISO 27001 certification can be a great choice, as this will allow you to officially demonstrate your dedication to cybersecurity as a company and help to keep you and your team well-versed in cybersecurity practices.
Run Regular Testing And Assessments
Another key step in improving your business’s cybersecurity is to conduct regular vulnerability assessments and penetration testing on your systems, networks, and devices. These will help you identify any weaknesses in them that could be exploited by malicious cybercriminals.
Once these vulnerabilities have been identified, they can be addressed and fixed before they can be used in an attack. Additionally, it is important to regularly update your software and systems to ensure that any known vulnerabilities are patched, reducing the chances of cybercriminals exploiting these vulnerabilities. This is especially important for any third-party software that your business may be using.
Furthermore, consider employing the services of a professional cybersecurity firm to conduct regular penetration testing. This can be helpful in detecting vulnerabilities that may have been missed by your internal IT team. It is also important to have an incident response plan in place to handle the event of a cyber-attack.
Backup Your Data Often
Regularly backing up important data is also crucial in protecting your business from cyber-attacks. This will ensure that you have a copy of your data that can be restored if your systems are compromised.
Additionally, it is important to have an incident response plan in place so that your team knows what to do in the event of a security breach. A well-crafted incident response plan will guide your team through the steps that need to be taken to contain, assess, and mitigate the impact of a cyber-attack.
Consider assigning specific roles and responsibilities within your team to ensure that everyone knows their part in responding to a cyber-attack. It is also important to regularly test and update your incident response plan to ensure that it remains effective and relevant.
Additionally, consider implementing a disaster recovery plan to quickly restore your data and systems should this end up happening.
Hire A Cybersecurity-Savvy IT Team
Having the right tools in place is, of course, extremely beneficial, but if you don’t have a skilled enough IT team to use these tools and oversee the cybersecurity within your business, then there is a significantly higher risk that vulnerabilities could be overlooked. That’s why it’s essential to have a dedicated cybersecurity-savvy IT team in place.
These experts should have the knowledge and experience to not only implement and manage the necessary tools and technologies but also to stay up to date with the latest cybersecurity trends and threats, as well as have the initiative and drive to stay ahead of the curve.
They will be able to identify potential weaknesses and vulnerabilities in your systems and network and take proactive measures to address them where necessary. Additionally, they should provide ongoing monitoring and maintenance to ensure that your company’s defenses are always up-to-date and effective.
By hiring a quality IT and cybersecurity team like this, you can have peace of mind that your business is protected from cyber threats and that you have a skilled team in place to respond quickly and effectively in the event of any potential security breach. This really is an investment that could end up saving your business in the future.
Consider Getting Cybersecurity Insurance
Many businesses don’t consider taking out a cybersecurity insurance policy to protect them in the event of a malicious attack or data breach. However, this can be very useful to you as a business owner.
Cybersecurity insurance policies are designed to provide financial protection for businesses in case of a data breach or malicious attack. These policies typically cover the costs of investigating the breach, contacting affected customers, and providing credit monitoring services. They may also cover costs related to restoring data and systems and legal fees and expenses.
Businesses can quickly and effectively respond in the event of a breach, minimizing the damage to their reputation and financial stability. One of the key benefits of cybersecurity insurance is that it can help businesses comply with regulations and standards, such as the General Data Protection Regulation or GDPR.
By having an insurance policy in place, businesses can demonstrate to customers and regulators that they take security seriously and have taken steps to mitigate the risk of a breach.
