Digital security is a funny thing. For one, many people don’t take it seriously. This is because their computer or access point like a phone or tablet are locked safely in their homes. They equate physical safety with doing their best in protecting virtual data, when in reality their data is more valuable than they realize, and can be hacked even behind closed doors. This is even truer for companies. As a company, your data is your lifeblood. It is what keeps you going, because without that data, you don’t have the information needed to operate. In some cases, your entire company is built on data and digital products and services.
That is why you need to make your company’s security a priority. This mean improving, training, and implementing new tools to ensure your digital data is safe, backed up, and secured. To do that, follow this guide:
- Have an Offline Backup
Having offline backups can be expensive, depending on how much data you have, but they are worth it. Further, even small businesses can purchase 4TB hard drives for an affordable price, so backing up your whole system can be done, and should be done. That’s because, in the worst-case scenario that a hacker begins to delete your files or holds them for ransom, you haven’t lost anything. Not money, nor the information; you may even be able to keep a firm grasp on your reputation.
Note: The key here is offline – if your backup is online then it is vulnerable to cyber-attacks like the rest of your data.
- Use the Best Safety Practices
In the best-case scenario you never encounter a cyber-attack, and one of the ways you can help prevent this is to use the best practices for AWS security or whatever your cloud hosting system is. Follow these practices, and more importantly, ensure that everyone else in your company follows these practices. This means training each and every employee, so that they cannot jeopardize your data in ignorance. You may also impose information security policies on handling company data against cyberattacks.
- Train Your Employees
To be safe, you need to all uniformly work together towards that safety. Digital security should not be left up to the IT department alone. Instead, train all of your employees on how to recognize cyber-attacks in the form of phishing attacks or malware, and how to use the system so that it is as secure as it can be. Similarly, training your employees will ensure that a virus they have downloaded at home will not be uploaded through the cloud into your company’s data.
- Use Stronger Authentication Methods
If there are two-or-more factor authentication methods, use them. The more loops a person must go through in order to log in, the harder it will be for a hacker to access your accounts.
- Keep Programs Updated
All programs, plugins, and data must be updated. Outdated programs have security holes that hackers can exploit to gain access to other areas of your computer or data.
Digital security should be every company’s priority. Being hacked or infected with malware or ransomware can be the end of your company. Never underestimate the power of your data. Protect it, and protect your company.
