Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a significant change is seen in the global work economy. While remote working used to be a benefit that specific organizations offered, it has become the norm for most. According to estimates, nearly 70 percent of the workforce will be working remotely at least five days a month by 2025.
With the sudden increase in remote working, cybercrime has shown a significant target shift from small companies to big organizations, banks, and governments. Therefore, it is high time the companies must discover strategies to handle their growing exposure to cyber-related hazards.
The rapidity with which businesses have transitioned to a digital business environment has created new and unique issues that they must confront to preserve important and sensitive company data.
Although there is no magic bullet that can save your business from cyberattacks, these five steps can help you reduce risk and the chance of a data breach.
1. Create a Data Backup
If your company’s data and website are backed up, you’ll be able to restore any information lost in the event of a cyberattack or computer problems. Thus, it’s critical that you routinely backup your most crucial files and information. Fortunately, backing up doesn’t have to be expensive and is simple to accomplish.
It’s a good idea to employ various backup solutions to secure your essential data. Make a practice of regularly backing up your data to an external disc or a portable device such as a USB stick.
Store these portable devices separately offsite, giving your company a backup plan if the office is looted or damaged. In addition, do not leave gadgets connected to the computer since they may become infected as a result of a cyberattack.
2. Protect Your Network
Make sure your operating system and security applications are set to update automatically. Substantial security improvements for recent infections and assaults may be included in updates.
Most updates enable you to schedule them for after business hours or at a later time that is more convenient for you. It’s critical not to disregard update prompts as they fix serious security flaws.
Moreover, get a firewall installed. A firewall is a software or hardware device that acts as a barrier between your computer and the internet. It serves as a checkpoint for all inbound and outbound traffic.
Companies that focus only on security solutions and ignore the importance of network performance monitoring will fall short of their primary goal: providing full network security coverage. That is why it is crucial to improve network security visibility to protect your business against cyber threats.
3. Enable Network and Data Encryption
Before sending data over the internet, encryption turns it into a secret code. Therefore, it’s critical for organizations to enable network and data encryption when storing and exchanging data.
This may be done by changing the settings on your router or installing VPN (Virtual Private Network) software on your computer or other devices. By doing so, the danger of theft, destruction, or tampering is reduced.
4. Secure Your Devices
To prevent cyber threats, install security software on your company’s computers and gadgets. Anti-virus, anti-spyware, and anti-spam filters should all be included in the program. Viruses and malware can attack computers, laptops, and mobile devices. Therefore, it is imperative to safeguard your devices.
Reduce the quantity of spam and phishing emails that your company gets by using spam filters. Spam and phishing emails can infect your computer with viruses or malware, as well as steal your personal information.
5. Train Your Staff Against Cyber Security
When opening emails and messages, your employees should be cautious, especially if they don’t recognize the sender. Suppose you get an unexpected email or text. Even if it’s from someone you’ve communicated with previously, you should encourage your employees to contact the sender directly to confirm that they sent the communication.
To defend your company against phishing attacks, ask your staff to follow these simple steps:
- In response to an unexpected email, phone call, or text message, never give up company information, financial data, or passwords.
- If you get emails or messages from unfamiliar sources, think twice before responding, opening attachments, or clicking links.
- Ensure that all of your accounts have spam filters installed by your IT staff.
- When login into any accounts, always go to the website directly by entering the address.
To protect your business from cyberattacks, find and manage your vulnerabilities, put security measures in place, and test them. We hope that the guidelines mentioned above help increase the cybersecurity of your business.
