As technology and the digital world continue to advance, cybercriminals find new ways to exploit and attack businesses. And with more businesses making the shift to digital, cybersecurity has become one of the main necessities in keeping their businesses secure. Whether you’re the owner of a small business or a CEO of a global corporation, your business will always be vulnerable to various threats like malicious software or cyberattacks. If you don’t take the necessary measures to protect your business from these threats, you can put your business at risk if your important data or documents get compromised.
Secure the Company Wi-Fi
If connecting to the company’s Wi-Fi is as easy as clicking connect, then you’re not only inviting unknown users to use your bandwidth, but you’re also leaving yourself open to hacking and other cyberattacks. Routers can be hacked through DNS (Domain Server Name) hijacking without you knowing it. This allows hackers to redirect you to a malicious site to get your personal information.
It’s important to remember that a simple password won’t do, and hackers can easily find ways to overrun your system. Wi-Fi security is more than just having a long password, too. The best way to go about this is by encrypting your password and keeping your Wi-Fi network hidden. You can encrypt your password by setting the encryption to WPA2-PSK or WPA2-Enterprise to secure your network properly. Also, when setting your password, make sure that it has a combination of upper and lower-case letters and symbols.
Consider Multi-factor Authentication
In addition to encrypting your office’s Wi-Fi network, consider adding multi-factor authentication that requires users to either enter a one-time password, answer a question, or confirm a prompt via their phone or email to help confirm their identity. This means that even if a password gets compromised, a hacker would still be unable to access any information or digital assets they might be looking for. The best part about it is that it’s a common form of security nowadays across many applications like Slack, Gmail, Facebook, and Google Drive.
While this may seem like a lot of work for you and your employees, you’ll end up thanking yourself in the long run. Having this form of security protecting your digital assets can help ensure that your business and its data will be safe from the prying hands of cybercriminals.
Make Sensitive Data a Need-to-know Subject
Your entire workforce doesn’t need to know the ins and outs of your company’s digital assets. In most cases, you only need a few employees to have access to certain documents or files important to the company. With this in mind, it may be best to consider limiting the access of certain applications and data to members of your workforce that need them. Setting permissions on team computers can also help you keep an eye out on who has access to the company’s data and who doesn’t.
Just remember to keep these applications and data protected by using tools to help you manage and store your encrypted passwords.
Train Your Employees
Training your employees to follow proper cybersecurity practices inside and outside the office plays a critical role in keeping your digital business assets safe. This is because employees can sometimes lose their devices, connect to public Wi-Fi without a VPN, or accidentally access malicious sites without their knowledge, which can cause your data to be compromised. Educating your employees can help you avoid these situations.
Have Someone Test Your System Security
You’ll never really know how secure your business assets are without the help of a professional. Consider getting in touch with IT security companies that can help you conduct a simulated cyberattack, also known as penetration testing or ethical hacking. It might sound dubious at first, but businesses need this to assess whether the current practices a business uses to protect data are effective against possible cyber attacks, find holes in the security system, and address its weaknesses by finding effective solutions to strengthen it.
Remember to do this regularly, especially if you’ve added or updated any software on company devices.
Store Backup Copies of Sensitive Documents and Data
Advancements in technology have made devices like computers and data storage as sturdy as ever. However, you never know just when they could contract a virus and damage your system. Make sure to set company devices in a way that they regularly back up any files and important information that you may need in the future. This includes spreadsheets, financial documents, databases, and other sensitive information.
While investing in cybersecurity might seem like a lot of work and money, you’ll be glad you made use of it. Taking the risk by not taking the necessary precautions to protect your company’s digital assets may save you money but leaves you open to an endless stream of online threats, which can cost you and your business more in the long run. Cybersecurity and company growth go hand-in-hand, and if you want to see your business grow, you’ll also want to make sure that your data is protected.