The modernisation, and digitisation of businesses has brought immeasurable benefits in all sorts of ways. However, with more and more being put in the digital domain it’s becoming increasingly important to maintain a strong and up to date cyber security system.
If you’re concerned that your cyber security might not be as strong or robust as it could be we’ve highlighted a few key areas to think about below.
- Using strong passwords. Making sure you have a complex and unique password for each business account and software is vital. A complex password will make it harder for cyber attackers to succeed, and if every password is unique even if they do break one the rest of your passwords are still secure. The best way of achieving this is to use a reputable password manager, this not only will set up secure passwords for you but allow staff to store and share them securely.
- Keeping software up to date. Cyber criminals will frequently exploit vulnerabilities in software to gain access; in turn the software developers will cover these vulnerabilities when they become apparent and issue updates to protect against them. Without keeping your software up to date, you will still have those vulnerabilities and are at risk. This doesn’t just relate to cyber security software but all software in general.
- Providing cyber security training to staff. Even the best cyber security in the world will crumble if staff aren’t trained and kept up to date. Not all staff members may be skilled at spotting phishing attempts or be able to recognise social engineering tactics. By giving staff regular and up to date training you can stop a lot of threats before they even happen.
- Keeping regular backups. The best way is to use cloud-based software, as it is backed up automatically by the software developer offsite. However, this isn’t always possible. In which case you will need to create regular backups of your data and keep these off site (and ideally off any form of network). The most basic version would be to backup your data to a removable drive that you unplug and keep off site. This can help product against things like ransomware attacks and hardware failures.
- Consider cybersecurity insurance. Even with the best cyber security in the world no system is never impenetrable, with that in mind having cybersecurity insurance can be an important safety net. The insurance can help cover legal costs, data recovery costs and any fines in the instance of a breach. It’s a sensible financial buffer, but you will need to consider if it is appropriate for your business as it may not always be.
If you have any concerns, or would like more information, please get in touch with us.
