Cybersecurity is an ever-growing concern, with businesses relying increasingly on technology. Organizations of all sizes must take necessary steps to protect their data and systems from malware, phishing attempts, information loss, and all that comes with it.
As an IT company that’s been in business for nearly two decades, we’ve seen a lot of change over the years. Follow our top cybersecurity best practices to keep your business safe from cyber threats.
Cybersecurity Best Practices for Businesses
1. Update Your Software and Hardware
Always update your software and hardware in a timely manner, keeping an eye out for security patches or updates that release. Technology is constantly changing, and new vulnerabilities are constantly being discovered.
Keeping your software and hardware up-to-date ensures that any new security issues are addressed as soon as possible. P.S. ICS offers IT services; we’ll update everything automatically.
2. Use Strong Passwords
Hackers can easily guess weak passwords, especially those obvious number patterns (e.g., 1234) and birthday combinations (e.g., June20th!). When creating strong passwords, use a combination of numbers, letters, and special characters in a unique sequence.
Additionally, use different passwords for each account, as this reduces the risk of all of your accounts being compromised if a hacker discovers your password.
3. Perform Regular Data Backups
Around 817 data breaches have been reported since 2022. About 18% of data breaches are accidental, and 24% are malicious. With that said, regularly back up all of your business data in the cloud. This ensures that, in the event of a security breach, you will still be able to access your data.
We recommend storing your backups on a cloud server in a secure off-site location, as this reduces the risk of your backups being compromised on-site. P.S. ICS offers managed cloud services; we’ll back up your data for you!
4. Monitor System Access
Do all of your employees need the same level of access to the same systems? Probably not. Monitoring your system access and limiting the number of users who can see certain information is a major cybersecurity best practice for businesses. This ensures that only those who need access actually have it.
5. Train Employees on Cybersecurity
Your business cybersecurity is directly affected by the knowledge of your team. Educate your employees about cybersecurity routinely throughout the year. This includes providing in-depth training on cybersecurity best practices and ensuring everyone is aware of the potential risks associated with online activities. Also, have a clear policy in place, outlining the consequences of intentional security violations.
6. Leverage Two-Factor Authentication
Two-factor authentication (2FA) provides an extra layer of security to help protect businesses from unauthorized access. By requiring two forms of identification to access a system or account, 2FA reduces the risk of data breaches, phishing attempts, and other cyber threats.
It also carves a path of resistance for hackers to break into a system, since they would need both the user’s username and password, as well as a separate one-time code or token.
7. Use a VPN
Virtual Private Networks (VPN) encrypt all data sent and received, providing enhanced security from hackers, cyber-attacks, and data breaches. It’s harder to pinpoint the exact location of a device when connected to a VPN, as the software randomizes the device’s IP address.
Protect Your Business from Cyber Threats
We believe these seven tips will help keep your business secure from cyber threats. ICS has been in the tech industry for decades, and our team knows how to safeguard your organization’s data with an iron fist.
Our team implements the latest information security best practices to keep you at the forefront of cybersecurity, from hardware to software and the cloud. Contact us today to learn more about our fully-managed IT Support and Cloud Hosting services.
