A business’s reputation is only as good as its ability to keep clients’ data secure. In a world where cyberattacks are becoming more frequent and damaging due to the digitalization of money and the online storage of personal data, companies cannot risk managing their business without efficient cybersecurity measures.
How about your business? How secure is your information? What strategies have you adopted to enforce your cybersecurity?
If you have not thought about it, you need to change that – and you can start now.
In this article, you can learn about a few of the key measures you should adopt to improve your company’s cybersecurity.
Train Your Employees
Uninformed employees can be a risk to the security of the company’s systems. If you want to keep your business software safe, you must make sure that everyone with privileged access to your systems has, at the very least, basic knowledge of cybersecurity.
Invest in digital security workshops for your employees, so they learn about authentication tools, sensitive data handling, the detection of suspicious files and emails, and other relevant aspects.
Trained staff can also help identify security breaches and unusual activity.
Implement VPNs
VPNs are a powerful tool to improve the cybersecurity of your business. They are capable of keeping your data protected when employers work remotely or access company systems from outside the office using public Wi-Fi services.
Do not forget to instruct your employees on how to use VPNs correctly so they avoid practices that can undermine their efficiency, such as sharing credentials.
Choose Custom Software Development
As a type of software development that is solely developed and accessed by an internal team, custom software significantly improves the cybersecurity of your business.
Building your software prevents third-party businesses from accessing sensitive data about your company, reducing the risk of data leaks.
Likewise, using bespoke software gives you control over the choice of software tools in use. That is especially important because hackers often exploit loopholes in tools so they can access software.
Popular tools are usually more vulnerable to these attacks, meaning that, to develop secure software, you have to choose these tools carefully.
Custom software development allows you to tackle specific security pain points your business faces and implement tailored security measures.
Monitor and Update Regularly
Proactivity is vital to keeping your business safe. Monitor your systems and networks closely in order to detect irregular activity as quickly as possible.
What is more, do not ignore the importance of updates and patches. They provide the latest solutions to fix software and tool weaknesses and improve functionality.
If possible, activate the automatic installation of updates, and ensure every part of your infrastructure is updated, so you can prevent any kind of security breaches. Make sure your antivirus is always updated and working as well.
Enforce Multi-Factor Authentication
One way for hackers to access your network is by credential theft. In fact, credential theft is one of the major security threats to businesses.
According to The Verizon 2022 Data Breach Investigations Report, nearly 50% of attacks were attributed to credential theft.
If you want to avoid entering the statistics, you should start enforcing Multi-Factor Authentication right now. MFA requires a several-step login process in which users must provide more than just a username and password. It can be a PIN, a phone code, fingerprint or facial recognition, or others.
Multi-Factor Authentication can greatly reduce the risk of credential theft and thus protect your data from cyberattacks.
Limit Data Rights
Limiting access rights is less of a proactive measure and more of a damage control strategy. It creates further barriers in case an attacker succeeds in breaking into your networks. With access control, a hacker is unable to navigate freely through your software.
This layer-like system also protects your business data from the inside, as its access is limited to fewer employees – ideally, just the ones whose tasks require accessing sensitive information.
Final Notes
If you are a business owner or wish to become one, you should not ignore the importance of cybersecurity. Keeping your clients’ and your company’s information protected is paramount.
Invest in training your employees, learning the right practices, and building the best software to avoid potentially irreversible damage an attacker may create to your business.
