By now we are sure that you have heard about the dangers of cybercrime and online fraud. It is a phenomenon that is sweeping the globe and costing companies billions of dollars in losses. But, the fact is, cyberattacks don’t only happen to large corporations. Small businesses, startups and even individuals have to protect their IT systems too. If you have access to the internet at any point, you face the risk of facing some kind of crime.
So, how do you protect yourself against it? Well, by making a few simple changes to your online behavior, you can make a huge difference to your security. By securing devices and accounts, you can bolster your security against unwanted attempts to access your data. You will also want to protect your privacy from parties who you don’t want to share your information with. So, we thought we would take a look at how to do this. We put together a guide on how you can protect yourself online.
Make Use of Cybersecurity Analytics
As much as cyber awareness and security measures are vital, you will want to take a step further and have preventative measures in place. This is where cybersecurity analytics come into play.
But, you might be wondering, what is cybersecurity analytics? Essentially, cybersecurity analytics are packs of information built on a base of data collated from your business. Raw data is gathered, collated, and analyzed, then translated into recommendations, actions, and reports. From there, it is fed into powerful AI-powered cybersecurity software which provides advice and actions for the user to undertake next.
This provides you with a proactive approach toward securing your network infrastructure. While in the past, there were mostly reactive approaches, this allows you to understand the environment and historic cybersecurity attacks. It provides you with raw data that you can analyze to fix various security gaps that may be in your organization.
Consider Cloud Migration
Although this is not the ultimate solution to online security, it is certainly a step in the right direction for your company. Cloud migration not only takes the pressure off a physical storage data unit for your company but the risk of information collection and storage is shared between user and host.
One of the best cloud migration benefits is centered around the reduced security footprint. You no longer are holding data on-site, but it’s in a secure location. While it increases the access of information for verified users from remote areas, it reduces the risk of access to information from non-verified users.
This is beneficial for keeping your organization up to date on physical security requirements surrounding your data. This will certainly assist if you need to be FISMA compliant, which is relevant for organizations who need to protect government information and assets. There are three pillars of information security associated with FISMA compliance: confidentiality, integrity, and availability.
Invest in Antivirus Software
Viruses may seem very 2010, but they are very much still in existence, and as dangerous as ever. Malicious software on your computer can wreak all kinds of havoc. Not only can it slow your system down completely, but it can be extremely dangerous in stealing your company’s vital information.
Essentially, you will need a tool that protects your business against unauthorized code or software that may threaten your operating systems. Antivirus software is vital in detecting real-time threats and helping you neutralize them to ensure your data is safe.
Occasionally, some of the software will provide automatic updates. Keep allowing them as these updates further protect your operating systems from the new viruses that emerge every day. Don’t ignore these software updates, even though they can seem annoying. Keep running these regular virus scans to keep your computer virus-free.
Create A Security Policy and Educate Your Staff
You would be surprised at how much cybercrime occurs due to human error. In fact, it is one of the top reasons why companies lose billions of dollars a year. The best place to start is to create a security policy for your organization and create education programs for your staff members around general security.
Create a clearly outlined security policy that will educate everyone in your organization on the right actions to take online. This should include best practices for passwords, encryption, device usage, email and any other areas that affect security. Highlight what they should do as well as any actions they should avoid. You should also specify the consequences for violating these policies. Also, consider email migration if your current provider does not fulfill your needs!
In the context of creating a clearly outlined security policy, email migration is important because it involves the transfer of sensitive data from one email platform to another. This data could include confidential business information, personal information, or financial information. So getting the right email migration services is important to ensure that this data is securely transferred and protected from unauthorized access.
To ensure the security of email data during migration, organizations should establish a security policy that outlines best practices for email usage and security. This policy should include guidelines for creating strong passwords, using encryption to protect sensitive data, and avoiding actions that could compromise email security. It should also specify the consequences for violating these policies, such as disciplinary action or termination.
Take it a step further and actually hold training on online security. Show them what links to avoid and how to update their passwords, for example. Remember, education goes hand-in-hand with having a strong security policy. It is key that the entire organization knows why these protocols need to be followed.
The Bottom Line
Your IT security will be a combined effort of everyone in the organization. Things like regular password updates, regular data backups, network audits and cyber security training are key to the safekeeping of your vital information. Look at your policies surrounding devices. Employees need to be conscious about leaving sensitive information on their screens when they are away from their desks, for example. Bring your own device policies should also be controlled as sensitive company information can easily leave the company on personal devices.