Online security is essential to protect your business from cyber threats in 2023. It is clear to see that even with the developments in technology that benefit businesses, there are counteracting threats that do just as much damage if businesses are not properly protected. Getting prepared for possible attacks is what all successful businesses should be doing, and this is also what you should be doing if you wish to protect your business.
Whilst preparing for the worst scenario is beneficial, implementing safety measures is the best thing you can do if you hope to see your business prosper without damage. Here are some reliable measures you should be taking to secure your business cyber security in 2023:
Strong passwords and multi-factor authentication
If you have not recently updated your passwords for each of your employees and your most sensitive accounts, you should consider double-checking their strength and reliability. Your passwords should all be kept somewhere safe and away from prying eyes, in addition to setting two-factor or multi-factor authentication on all of your online accounts. This essentially requires multiple verification methods to keep all data as protected as possible, meaning if hackers manage to figure out your passwords they will have multiple other walls to crack before they can get to any information. Multi-factor authentication is also a great way to receive any warning signs that someone is trying to access your business accounts, which further helps to investigate any breaches.
Update software and security systems
Additionally, if you have not updated any of your software or security systems in the last year at least, you should prioritise getting everything up to date. New updates will often offer many benefits such as fixing any potential bugs, offering new security features, and also highlighting any flaws that might make your information susceptible to cyber attackers. Also, your in-house security systems can benefit from new technological advances such as security cameras you can access from your phone, which might benefit you if any of your in-house team are trying to steal sensitive information.
Back up important data regularly
All of your business data should be regularly backed up if you wish to reduce the risk of information being lost or stolen. Backing data up is an important step when planning for the worst-case scenario, because if you experience a technical issue that requires data to be wiped, losing this data can cost you the success of your business. Having backed-up data as part of your contingency plan means that the restoration of business operations online can be done quickly and efficiently, meaning that you are not losing detrimental amounts of money to the business.
Train employees on cyber security best practices
Many business owners neglect the importance of training staff and employees on appropriate security measures. Often it is unsuspecting employees that are targeted by online attacks due to their naivety in spotting suspicious behaviour. Invest in a training course for your employees on possible threats and cyber attacks they should be aware of, and also how to spot them. This will minimise the risk of the business’s security being compromised.
Limit access to sensitive information
The most sensitive information that your business holds should only be accessed by a small percentage of people that are authorised to these accounts. By limiting the number of people who can access these accounts you can minimise the risk of the most sensitive data being breached, and if there does seem to be a breach you have a larger chance of solving the breach and getting the information secure again.
Use encryption for data transmission
Not many businesses understand the value of encryption for data transmissions. This is a critical tool that can protect your data if it has fallen into the hands of unauthorised users. This is an essential measure that businesses and clients should implement when passing over sensitive information between each other because it means that anyone who has accessed the account that was not meant to will not be able to see the information.
Monitor For unusual activity
If you do not have the time to do this yourself, you should employ someone who can regularly monitor the activity of your online accounts to ensure that no unauthorised access has been made or any suspicious activity is being done. They would flag any potential problems and try to find the root cause of such behaviours. Spotting potential hackers before they reach the information is valuable if you want to save private information and costly expenses paying for a huge issue to be resolved.
Use Antivirus Software
Implementing anti-virus software should be an essential part of all businesses. Anti-virus software essentially prevents your online operations from being susceptible to viruses of all forms. There are many additions that antivirus software can provide such as firewall features. Spam protection, spyware protection, and many more additions. This is the bare minimum measurement that everyone should be taking advantage of if they want their data to be protected on their devices. All businesses should have this implemented if they want to avoid easy access to the valuable data and information.
Monitor Homeworkers
Since the covid pandemic, many of us have adjusted to working from home. Many of your employees will likely be home-based at the present moment, which is why you should be keeping an eye on which devices your employees are working from. Ideally, if you have the budget, your employees should be provided with a laptop that has all of the protective data software already implemented. Providing your employees with protective devices that have all of the relevant security measures installed will minimise the risk of any cyber breaches, in comparison to if they were working from personal devices that are liable for being breached
Final Thoughts
Overall, if you are yet to implement the essential online security measures mentioned you should avoid wasting any more time and start investing your time and profits to getting all of your information secure. Businesses that do not implement the appropriate security measures are likely to be targeted by scammers. The impact that leaked data could have on a business is detrimental, so you should plan for the worst-case scenario and get all the possible measures implemented. By following these tips, you can reduce the risk of cyberattacks and protect your business’s sensitive information.