When you started your business, cybersecurity may not have been the most important consideration. However, in a world where hackers are constantly trying to steal sensitive data, protecting your customers and clients makes cybersecurity essential.
As soon as your business sets up a computer network, data is vulnerable to a breach. Those who would steal information that is stored on your devices or servers are not typically doing so for fun. Selling valuable information is a lucrative illegal industry. No matter the size of your business, you are a target for these bad actors.
Network Management & Monitoring
It may feel like network management and monitoring is a waste of time. The fact is, the processes involved in protecting your network are the first line of defense against hackers. All traffic is analyzed using strict safety protocols. If there are vulnerabilities, active management of a network will help you eliminate threats.
Dedicating a member of your team or creating an IT support team is an expensive prospect. You understand the importance of cybersecurity but the budget does not reflect those aspirations. For many businesses, these solutions simply are not viable.
Access Security
Managing and monitoring a computer network is a hands-off process for most business owners. When it comes to access, you will have an important role to play. Multi-tier authentication processes are designed in such a way that access security is focused on both individuals and groups. For instance, an employee may have a predefined access level for devices and software.
People are not infallible. An employee may forget a password or enter the wrong details. Most systems allow three attempts before lock out, but that doesn’t stop employees trying for a fourth time. With the knowledge that passwords are often forgotten, a reset from help desk is preferable to the downtime from not being able to log in.
Logging Out from a Workstation
Everything you do in work is tied to your workstation. When you walk away without logging out or shutting down, the opportunity is open for an internal data breach. Any action taken on an employee’s login ID can be directly linked to that person. Poor security protocols may lead to innocent parties then shouldering the blame for actions taken on a compromised ID.
Instilling cybersecurity practices in all employees can help your business avoid these pitfalls. Two seconds of inconvenience can protect your business, customers and data from attack. Computers are a wonderful innovation but they also come with risks. The downtime caused by actively logging out or shutting down is nothing compared to the damage that could be done by hackers.
Email Protocols
When discussing cybersecurity with your employees, email protocols may come up frequently in the conversation. Spam and phishing emails pose a significant threat to your business. These electronic communications can harbor viruses or worse. Most cybersecurity protocols involve placing suspicious emails in a quarantine environment. The recipient then needs to confirm that the email is from a trusted source. While this may seem like a major inconvenience, the prospect of a harmful file or extension getting through is much worse. Entire networks have been taken down because one user downloaded a file that was infected with a complex virus.
Email quarantine algorithms are highly intelligent. The number of emails that are flagged as potentially risky is usually low. Obvious spam is sent to its own dedicated folder, whereas mail that needs verified is separated into a sandboxed program designed to prevent computer infection.
If you would like to learn more about the importance of cybersecurity, call ClubDrive Systems today for a consultation.