Cyber security is and always should be a top priority for organisations of any size. No company can ever be 100% safe in the cyber-world, but we can always strive to be one step ahead of malicious hackers and be proactive as we work and browse online. That being said, here are 7 crucial steps that you may or may not already be implementing in your organisation. You can use this blog as a checklist and see if your business already has all these practices in place.
Practice a stringent cyber security policy
A cyber security policy outlines the measures your company will take to protect itself from cyber threats. It should cover things like password management, data encryption and network security. By having a clear policy in place, your IT team or provider can make sure everyone in your organisation is aware of the risks and know what they need to do to protect themselves.
Educate your employees
One of the most important things you can do to improve your cyber security is to educate your employees. They need to know about the latest threats and how to protect themselves against them. The best way to do this is to provide training on a regular basis. This can be in the form of online courses, webinars or even face-to-face training sessions.
Use strong passwords
One of the most common ways for hackers to gain access to systems is by using weak passwords. To protect your data, you should make sure all your passwords are strong and unique. A good way to do this is to use a password manager, which will generate and store strong passwords for you.
Enable two-factor authentication
Another way to protect your accounts is to enable two-factor authentication. This means that, as well as a password, you’ll also need another piece of information – such as a code from your phone – to log in. This makes it much harder for hackers to gain access to your accounts, even if they have your password.
Keep your software up to date
One of the easiest ways for hackers to gain access to systems is by exploiting vulnerabilities in outdated software. To protect yourself, your IT team should make sure all the software on your devices is up to date. This includes your operating system, web browser and any other apps you use.
Use a secure VPN
If you need to access sensitive data when you’re away from the office, you should use a virtual private network (VPN). This will encrypt your traffic and prevent anyone from snooping on any of your sensitive work data.
Back up your data
Even with the best security measures in place, there’s always a chance that your data could be lost or corrupted. That’s why it’s important to back up your data on a regular basis. This way, if something does go wrong, you’ll always have a spare copy that you can use and carry on with your work.
As we mentioned before, there’s no foolproof cyber security method to protect yourself from every hacker on the internet. Just as cyber security evolves and becomes better, so do hackers over time. By using all 7 of these simple steps your company will be all the safer and more secure for you and your employees -and keep in mind that employees are part of the solution so by helping them, you are helping your company.
