Secure Your Business Data: 10 Protective Measures Every Company Must Imply

With the COVID crisis on our heads, and the majority of the employees working remotely the chances of cyberattacks have increased manifolds.

As per Alertlogic.com, last year, more than 200,000 cyber-attacks occurred every day and the figure is only going to rise.

Therefore, having an appropriate security checklist in place can help one avoid many security loopholes in their system.

To help you get started with protecting your business data, we have compiled a list of 10 best security measures. Every company can employ these security measures easily and become more secure.

1. Table of Contents

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   Get End Point Security

An endpoint security solution is always better than not having one. Most antivirus software now sells corporate-level antivirus that adds different levels of security to the clouds. You can also check the difference between Mcafee vs avast

The purpose of the end-point security software is to avoid data leakage, bar entry of unknown software in the cloud system, and remotely scan and quarantine software that doesn’t belong.

Moreover, IT staff can create their own policies about end-point security that include granting limited control to employees and many other similar policies.

2. Add 2FA

A few months ago, one organization’s data was breached because an employee had a fairly easy password. The hackers used brute force and gained entry into her account. From there onwards, it was a path to paradise.

Two-factor Authentication allows employees to only log into a system when they actually want to.

The 2FA devices inform them through emails, mobile phone apps like Authenticators, and even SMS messages. These make sure that unverified entries are stopped before they can create a mess.

3. Stay on a VPN

Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) are often despised by security organizations but the purpose of a VPN is not always to crack open a streaming website. You can try the best VPN for torrenting and can get a good streaming experience.

Companies can even create their own VPNs with firewalls that only allow entry to the cloud system using specific IP addresses. This means all IP addresses that are not in the whitelist are automatically rejected entry. It also minimizes the occurrence of DDoS attacks and brute force hacks.

4. Schedule Regular Backups

The best security measure is to avoid a threat once and for all. This means creating a Disaster Recovery Site (DR) site on the system that allows companies to regularly backup data from the main site.

Most of the data is lost when the companies don’t adopt a regular backup policy. Attacks are evident and can be faced by any business unit.

However, DR sites give a strong sense of confidence and allow the companies to ensure that even in case of a cyberattack, their data remains secure.

5. Educate Employees

We just discussed how an employee’s credentials were used to compromise the system. Therefore, the first line of defense of any corporation is its employees.

If they know how important the security of their assets is, they will do everything in their control to protect them.

Employees should be educated through webinars, orientation classes, monthly IT security meetings, and in many other ways.

These employees should also be shown ways in which they can keep the data safe even if they are not using an office computer.

6. Put up a firewall

The best way to secure a company’s system is by setting up security firewalls. Firewalls monitor all the traffic getting into the system and stop all unauthorized traffic. They can be made even stricter through IT security protocols. Most end-point software provides firewall features that the IT teams can customize according to their needs and deploy on the whole system.

Firewalls also limit the use of external devices such as USBs, data cables, and external hard drives. They can also block websites and social portals such as social media.

7. Keep programs updated

Programs that are not updated on a regular basis not only decrease the speed of the systems but also become a major security threat.

Updates are provided by program developers to remove any security loopholes. When they are not updated, hackers can gain illegal access to the system through those programs.

There have been instances where hackers were able to gain access to the system through an outdated private browser.

In most companies, the IT staff is responsible for keeping user programs updated. They inform the users from time to time if any program needs a major update and when it should be done.

8. Grant Employees Limited Control

This may sound like a privacy infringement but it is not. Since employees can be a weak link for the hackers, they can use them to gain access to the system. Each employee should have a level of security clearance.

An executive should not have the same level of security clearance as that of a manager. This would decrease the number of people who can gain entry into a system.

Moreover, limiting the employee’s controls will also allow IT companies a better chance of monitoring what type of external devices are getting linked to the system and from where.

9. Have Smart SOPs & Security Policies

Experts have recommended time and time again that all companies should have a security SOP in place. This SOP should detail how to proceed in case of a security compromise, a cyber threat, or even a cyberattack.

The SOP document also includes the control framework that would be needed to neutralize the threats through a series of steps.

In most cases, it has been witnessed that when such a scenario occurs, IT staff is unable to formulate an immediate plan. This is because they are usually unaware of how to deal with such a situation.

The SOPs should be made at the earliest and should be implemented after taking all stakeholders in confidence.

10. Scan All Devices

Today most companies follow the pattern of Bring Your Own Devices (BYOD). While this is great for the finance department and it reduces many costs. The patterns are not perfect and have led to many security issues in the past.

Even if employees are allowed BYOD, they should be installed with the company’s own end-point security software. This would allow employees to scan the devices they have and the external devices attached to the system.

If any threats are found, they could be taken care of immediately before entering the system.

Bottom-line

Companies need to ensure that all their employees follow these practices to conduct business securely in the near future.

Because it is always better to be secure than sorry. there is one more business  white concrete

About the Author:

Justin:
Justin is a Technology enthusiast. Staying atop the latest technology trends, He just loves to search and write about Technology, Not only that, but he loves to share his thoughts with a myriad of people via his blogs.