5 Ways You Can Use Technology To Make Your Business Safer
Businesses have become incredibly digitized. Instead of clusters of files lining the office space, all your relevant data gets stored in technological devices. While this has made running a company more convenient, it has also put your organization at risk. Cybercriminals often lurk in online spaces to hack into unguarded businesses and cause a data breach.
According to the FBI, in 2020, phishing and scam pages were the most common type of attack in the US, with over 7 million attempts. Therefore, the only way you can keep your company safe is by taking lucrative security measures into account and keeping your data under a digital lock. These methods are both budget-friendly and robust to ensure your organization continues running on a timeline without encountering any trouble:
- Protect your Wi-Fi with a password
Wi-Fis are an entryway into your business’s database. It allows hackers to access your IP configuration and use it to access your data. This is one of the primary reasons public Wi-Fi is unsafe and not recommended if you plan to open confidential information using an unsafe network. Therefore, once you acquire a Wi-Fi network, you need to protect it with a password. This must be unpredictable and strong, which is not easy to guess or hack into.
Your best defense is to use a network security key to set up an appropriate password for your database and prevent it from becoming accessible. But, you need to take time to think of a robust and unique combination of letters, numbers, and special symbols. More than half of Americans use a loved one’s name, birthday, or a pet’s name as a password, since these are easy to recall and use. So, be sure you don’t follow suit.
- Install a firewall and an antivirus software
The firewall monitors all the traffic coming towards your company’s network and prevents any suspicious activity. Your business will connect to numerous pages and websites at a time, and this can cause hackers to latch onto your business’s network to access your data. Therefore, ensure you purchase a quality firewall and install it on your company’s network. Along with a firewall, you need antivirus software.
Cybercriminals can also attack your company’s network through emails attached with viruses, broken links, or infected hardware. Antivirus software prevents viruses like the Trojan horse or malware attacks even if your network is not online. For instance, if an employee accidentally connects a virus-infected USB to their smart device, the antivirus software will prevent the virus from seeping into the database.
- Keep your software updated
Software needs constant updating since it can have security patches and may rely on a weak firewall. When software cannot maintain high security, you may be prone to an attack. The most common malware to bypass software security and enter any company’s network is ransomware.
A hacker uses ransomware to encrypt your data and prevent you from accessing it unless you provide the money or confidential information in exchange for the key. However, there’s a chance even if you pay the hacker. You may not get access in return. To subside such an attack which can leave your company in shambles, update the software and use patch management. This automatically updates the software and tightens loose ends in maintaining your company’s integrity.
- Back up data
Backing up data ensures data stays safe and retrievable if you need to shut down the primary operation. It is also much easier to back up data now with cloud computing. Companies like the trillion-dollar business Apple have their cloud computing system called iCloud.
This platform allows you to share and store data digitally. If you wish to access these files, you must use your username and password and send an email to your server confirming the access. Therefore, discard old school methods such as a hard drive and shift to cloud computing to secure your data and share it across the network with relevant employees. Backing up data is also a form of contingency.
- Educate employees
Sometimes you may be following all the safety guidelines and still face an attack. This can occur unintentionally by an employee. So, training employees on savagely surfing the web is equally important as using tools to protect your data. Inform employees on keeping passwords confidential and never disclosing them in a public place. Issue them company devices and never allow any employee to use their device to work on your organization’s data.
You should also register the company phones as two-factor authentication devices. As a result, if an employee wants to log into the system, they will receive the access code on your provided devices. In addition, give a company-sponsored VPN if the employee decides to work remotely. You should also install web filters to prevent them from accessing damaged websites. Instruct them on logging out, encrypting, and storing data to avoid hacks.
Conclusion
Your business needs to stay safe from online hackers, especially if you wish to have a successful enterprise in the 21st century. There are many aspects of your business you need to address. Still, primary security includes getting a network security key for your Wi-Fi and installing a sturdy firewall with antivirus software.
You may also want to run patch management so that your software stays updated. Back up your data using the cloud computing system consistently. Employees play a role in keeping your company safe, so educate them and train them well to handle working in online spaces and managing their work devices.
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