Simple Ways You Can Keep Your Business Information Safe From Loss Or Theft

As unfortunate as it is, it seems that the people at the forefront of digital security are hackers. In 2015, the cybersecurity giant Kaspersky published a revealing report on what lengths criminals go to steal valuable information. 

While you don’t have to be worried about laser waves and IR devices yet, there are many enterprise-level steps you can take to assure the security of your digital information and assets.

Almost 90% of cyber-attacks are caused by or perpetuated through human error, rather than through days of system penetration as many people think. Organisations are responsible for closing this gap internally, which can be done in the following ways.

1. Develop In-house Information Security Policies and Protocols

Most information security threats are caused by preventable errors such as weak passwords, unnecessary privileged access, and weak oversight from the executive level. Having protocols detail exactly what’s expected of your team goes a long way to plug these potential holes in the security framework.

• Follow the principle of least privilege
• Restrict the use of portable drives and mobile phones in areas where sensitive information is stored
• Regulate the passwords used by your team and how often they are changed
• Control individual access to only what they need to perform their duties, otherwise called micro-segmentation
• Use encryption wherever necessary

2. Train Your Staff on Digital Security and Their Role in It

Cyber attacks are getting increasingly sophisticated. Using social engineering attacks such as phishing, vishing, baiting, tailgating, quid pro quo among others, hackers can use the human aspect to gain access to your sensitive data and internal systems. 

Training your staff to recognise and report these attacks will help secure your data. You also need to train them on basic security practices such as avoiding public Wi-Fi networks and how to use secure channels to share and access information online.

3. Conduct Regular Penetration Testing

Penetration testing is the use of white-hat hackers and researchers to look for flaws and weak points externally. In other words, they will try to hack your systems so that you can establish where you are vulnerable allowing you to patch the areas up before an actual attack can happen.

4. Perform Regular Security Audits 

If your business organisation deals with particularly sensitive or valuable data, regular organisation-wide digital security audits are a must. They help to pinpoint areas where your security is lacking, weak, or outdated so that you can take the necessary steps.

This is especially true of today’s uncontained cloud networks where it is very easy to scale the size of your IT infrastructure without taking time to set up proper protocols. 

5. Automate Basic Security Practices

Small enterprises can leverage the power of technology to ensure security even with minimal resources. The best way to do this is to take advantage of systems with inbuilt security and automate secure configuration and updates.

Other ways you can achieve this is by using AI and robotic technology as well as automating tedious tasks to free up IT personnel.

6. Maintain and Upgrade Security Systems Regularly

Information security threats are always evolving. Today, we’re seeing AI-powered viruses and hacking attempts, what is known as a polymorphic attack. As such, your security framework also needs to keep changing to protect yourself against such threats.

Managed IT Security as a Bulwark Against Cyber Threats 

The constantly changing cybersecurity threat means that every enterprise needs a team of skilled, agile, proactive security experts to stay safe from theft or loss. However, most businesses can’t afford a dedicated team to do this.

Managed IT security services allow you to affordably and reliably ensure that your digital assets are safe from cybersecurity threats. At Essential Tech, we avail the best enterprise-level security for all kinds of business organisations. We invite you to click here to learn more about our managed IT security services.

You can also book a free 30-minute consultation with our experts or request a free assessment of your organisation’s security now.