ARE YOU SECURE? TIPS TO MAINTAIN OPTIMUM CYBERSECURITY
Cybersecurity should be in one of your top 5 most important concerns when operating any business. When left unaddressed, your business’ connection to the outside world through the internet can be tarnished if not wholly maxed out in an instance. Read on as we discuss a few tips and tricks to keep your online information, your business, and customers safe.
Ensure awareness through education.
It’s integral for all of us to understand that anyone is susceptible to become a hacker’s target. Take time to educate your staff and clients on the importance of cybersecurity and how it affects them, personally and professionally. An empowered person who recognizes and values cybersecurity will treat their devices and information with greater caution than an uninformed one.
Keep credentials and permissions limited on a person-to-person basis.
Backup often.
Treat backups with just as much urgency and importance as file>save on anything: Do it as often as possible. The more often you backup your data, the least likely you’ll experience a loss of important information when having to possibly restore from a backup. Don’t limit your backups to just production networks, either. Make sure you have an offsite backup on hand as well.
Encrypt.
Once you’ve established a physical backup situation, make sure your data is stored in an encrypted format. Encryption adds another strong, necessary lock on any possibly sensitive information you’re trying to protect. There are plenty of affordable and free encryption tools available online. If you’re a Windows person, several versions of Windows have built-in data encryption. Apple products also offer encryption through their FileVault software.
Don’t share credentials.
Keep credentials and permissions limited on a person-to-person basis. Should an employee go rogue or a hacker successfully breaches your security, it’ll be easier to handle a contained issue rather than a widespread one.
Use a proper password policy.
We’re all used to being told to create passwords that are impossible to break, with countless numbers and random symbols. In turn, this leads to individuals writing down passwords or recycling them, potentially making accounts vulnerable. Encourage users to use combinations of words, numbers and proper names when developing their password, something easy that they can remember. We also recommend using a password manager, like 1password, to store all passwords under a master password. It also can be used to create new, strong passwords when you’ve run out of ideas.
Use security software.
All smart devices that store sensitive information need security software. Thankfully, there are several popular, affordable software packages that feature anti-virus, firewall, anti-spam, etc. and other beneficial features. Portable devices, like laptops, tablets or phones, should have software optimized for mobile systems and should have remote wipe capabilities enabled. DO NOT forget to enable remote swipe - you’ll thank yourself later.
Set Up 2FA for all accounts.
One of the best security mechanisms you can trust in is 2FA, aka 2 Factor Authentication. This requires users to verify they are who they say they are with two different proofs, usually via email or via phone. A temporary numerical code is sent to the account of your choice, which expires after X amount of time. That way, even if someone could obtain your password, they would be unable to access your account without also having access to your phone or email, too. We recommend reinforcing this rule on platforms such as CRMs, CMS, Facebook, Twitter, and company messaging apps.
Update software when possible.
Updating your software is paramount to keeping security tight and in check. This covers your operating system, web browser, and other related software. Though no amount of cybersecurity 100% creates an impenetrable system, the more often you update your software is, the more secure you and your team will be in the long run.
While these tips to maintain cybersecurity may not be an end-all-be-all, this is certainly a great start to protecting you and your team's data. We've included several resources below to help carry you even further down the path of creating the Fort Knox that is your cybersecurity system.
Resources:
13 Tips to Achieve Great CyberSecurity Without Spending a Fortune
Improving Cybersecurity: 12 Tools and Approaches Your Business Can Use
21 Cyber Security Blogs that Keep IT Pros in the Know
The Best Cybersecurity Tips for Marketing Teams
Take that FBI! OS X Yosemite Encrypts Disks by Default, Better Protecting Privacy
