Our digital interactions are growing more complex and intertwined than ever before. With businesses switching to remote hiring practices, employees working for multiple companies, and the practice of bringing our own devices to work, the risks of a security breach increase with our flexibility and our work styles. However, the very same digital and technology advancements help us increase our cybersecurity as well, it just depends on your company to find the most fitting solutions and implement them accordingly.
Investing in certain software solutions is only one part of the cybersecurity puzzle. Alas, throwing money at a security weak link will only get you so far, hence the need to think beyond software and implement best business practices to improve your data safety. Such long-term options should be adaptable and flexible so that you can adjust them over time as your business expands. Here are a few applicable solutions you can add to your security arsenal and increase the safety of your business operations every day.
Teach your employees what to do
More often than not, businesses expose themselves to risk primarily through their employees, and in most situations, they don’t do it on purpose. Without malicious intent, some of your staff can actually expose sensitive data or provide a security gap for any hacker to penetrate your system. Prevention is the key in such instances, so it’s best to teach your employees how to protect business data beforehand, rather than how to handle an imminent security breach that only experts can tackle.
Teach them essential system maintenance so that they can handle basic software and security updates on all of their business devices. Teach them how to choose and manage strong passwords, how to exchange business data safely, and how to recognize common threats such as phishing attacks. All of these preventative steps can increase the security of your business, and they should all become a regular part of your onboarding procedure.
Build your support system
Sometimes even the best of employees and the finest of software solutions cannot prevent a data breach when your equipment fails you. System malfunctions and hardware issues can both compromise your data, so having reliable repair experts at your disposal for business devices is pivotal. IT support providers such as Computer Emergency that specialize in urgent repairs and make themselves available 24/7 are the kind of experts your business should have in mind.
This is especially vital for companies without access to robust IT protection within their own structure, as remote support and computer maintenance are sometimes all you need to provide that final layer of data security for your business.
Implement secure password protection
Network security and protecting your devices are both necessary steps in increasing cybersecurity. However, passwords are too often overlooked in any business out there, and this could be the one step that can cost you your reputation and your data. For starters, one part of your employee training program should focus on creating and managing passwords with the help of powerful password managers.
These applications prevent those common risk factors such as using weak passwords, relying on the same password for different accounts, and using easily-penetrable passwords for business purposes. Add another layer of protection with multi-factor authentication to strengthen your passwords, and you’ll help preserve your data.
Create a comprehensive data handling policy
Strategies are not limited to your marketing or customer support departments. In fact, sticking to a strategic mindset in all of your operations will help you practice the most effective preventative measures even in your cybersecurity. That said, writing up a data security policy that outlines all the necessary steps and guidelines for all employees and management is not a one-time effort.
It’s an ongoing stream of efforts to improve your current practices, spot weak links in your security, and prevent data leaks in the future. How you classify all of your data is the very first step when outlining your policy, so as to determine the level of security needed for all those data categories. Writing guidelines on how to handle public, private, or restricted information will also help your business sectors implement smarter cybersecurity solutions.
Although there’s no way to completely eliminate the risk of cyber threats and security breaches, ongoing investments and education can make all the difference in how your company evolves. Make sure to add these robust, long-lasting solutions that will help your business stay cyber-safe and operate smoothly every day.
