With the explosive speed technology is changing, it can become tough to stay ahead of the latest cyber threats. There is a temptation to deal with cyber-threats as a one-off cure. Are hackers trying to get into your network? Buy a firewall. Are viruses causing problems? Install anti-virus software. But it’s not that simple.
To effectively protect your company from cyber-attack, security needs to be ingrained into the corporate culture. Technology alone won’t be enough — security best practices have to be part of the way in which every person in your business works.
Here are some ways to achieve this:
Think Security from the Top Down
Security cannot permeate the corporate culture if the top management doesn’t practice what they’re preaching. For example, how can you enforce the need for strong passwords if management has simple passwords stored on a post-it under a keyboard?
Put Someone in Charge of Network Security and Empower Them
Many industry-best security practices are designed to be implemented and updated for all users through a single management console. Allow your IT staff to set up proper policies and enforce them for all users. Create levels of access based upon need; the rule of thumb is, nobody should have access to more of the network than they need to do their jobs.
Educate and Train
Many cyber attacks (especially ransomware) are unwittingly enabled by network users. Does everyone on the network practice security best practices when using email or the web? Do they know how to avoid infected sites and spot email phishing attempts? Do they know about phone scams designed to draw out sensitive information? They should, and all new hires will require the same training.
Assess and Improve Regularly
Security is a process, not a project. Your network needs to be regularly assessed for security vulnerabilities, as do your business processes, preferably by an outside third-party company. New employees will need to be properly trained on the corporate security culture, and existing employees will need periodic training refreshes.
Once everyone in the company is on the same page and of one mind when it comes to security, it will be much harder for hackers, script kitties and other cyber-criminals to disrupt your business. A cyber-attack, such as a ransomware infection, can be catastrophic to your business. Investing in some tools, training and consulting is a wise move. Clare Computer Solutions can help your company be prepared to avoid cyber crime on a technical level and also on a user level with ransomware awareness training. Contact us today to get started.
