How to Improve Cybersecurity for Your Business

Ravi Prajapati
Ravi Prajapati August 19, 2020
Updated 2023/09/01 at 12:33 PM
Cybersecurity

The digital world is evolving fast, so keeping your cybersecurity practices up to date is vital to protect your business against various threats. Companies of all sizes are targets of malicious cyber-attacks, and none of them is spared of falling prey to hazardous threats.

Without proper protection, sensitive data like credit card numbers can get stolen, impacting your reputation, and decreasing consumers’ trust. Also, you may lose your relevant data after a security breach, which can interrupt your business.

Keeping up with current on cybersecurity issues and investing in the right technology minimizes the risk of cybersecurity threats.

What is Cybersecurity?

According to Wikipedia, Cybersecurity is the protection of computer systems and networks from the theft of or damage to their hardware, software, or electronic data, as well as from the disruption or misdirection of the services they provide.

Here are the top 9 tips on how to improve cybersecurity for your business:

Choose complex passwords

Cybersecurity starts with protecting your passwords. It may seem obvious, but a survey that analyzed data breaches revealed that more than 22 million compromised accounts were using easy-to-crack code “123456”.
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To up your security, change your passwords using complex or “strong” codes that combine letters, numbers, and special characters. A password generator tool can help you create secure passwords that are much harder for hackers to crack.

Make sure not to use the same password for multiple accounts.

Changing your passwords regularly adds another layer of protection, but don’t do it too frequently as it leads to password fatigue.

Try a password manager

When it’s required to change passwords every 45-90 days, the employees tend to slightly change their old passwords making them much easier to guess, research shows. To avoid this vulnerability and make things easier on your staff, use a password manager.

Tools like LastPass, Dashlane, and Keeper boost your cybersecurity by using complicated, more secure passwords that are different for every access point.

And what’s even better – you can stay in control of your cybersecurity without having to memorize multiple complex passwords.

These tools will store and manage all your passwords across every device.

Add extra security to your logins: multifactor authorization

Security incidents are not isolated events. Unfortunately, many major websites and companies have suffered a data breach at some point.

Secure and accurate authentication help protect your privacy and data theft by requiring a user to provide more than one authentication factor to gain access to an account.

Consider adopting a two-step (two-factor) sign-in authentication as it provides more security, making it harder for attackers to get access to your accounts.

When a user must provide (at least) two factors to prove their identity, it’s harder for hackers to acquire unauthorized system access.

Train your staff on how to improve cybersecurity

One of the most effective ways to tighten up cybersecurity measures is to train your employees in data security. Using strong passwords and accessing data using the company’s computers and the internet are the basics.

Also, train your staff to identify phishing and spear-phishing attacks.
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Spear phishing can be particularly damaging to your business, as it targets a specific person (usually the finance staff or the executives that have access to important data) and can be very convincing.

Many businesses can’t afford their cybersecurity team, but there is a way around that.
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You can invest in training for a team member and getting cyber security certification.

A trained cybersecurity professional within your team will make sure your data is safe, and everybody understands their role in keeping business information secure.

Update your software regularly

The main reason it is crucial to keep your software up to date is to resolve identified system issues and protect against security vulnerabilities by providing security fixes. When you dismiss software updates and leave them for later, malicious attackers can exploit known security weaknesses.

So, take the time to install an update even if it pops up at inconvenient times since just one device without the latest update creates an easy target.

Skipping out on getting the latest version of your operating system and other software can put your entire network at risk.

Use professional-grade antivirus and antimalware software

Antivirus and antimalware protection are paramount to any business looking to avoid cybersecurity crises. There is a wealth of options for antivirus and antimalware software, but they are not all created equal.

You want to have a cybersecurity software with proactive protection, meaning it offers real-time prevention and quickly eliminates threats. Some of them treat issues after they’ve occurred, instead of stopping any cybersecurity risks before the damage is done.

It is equally important for your antivirus and antimalware software to accurately detect threats without slowing down your devices.

Opt for business-class firewall

A firewall is a network security system that manages the traffic allowed into your network and monitors outgoing network traffic. A firewall can permit or block traffic based on a defined set of security rules.

It monitors the websites your staff visit while on the firm’s network and can prevent them from visiting compromised websites.

The added protection from a business-class firewall comes from their capabilities, like Advance Threat Protection (or ATP), that defends against malicious hacker attacks and sophisticated malware.

Do a backup of your most important data

The restorable backup solution ensures you will still have all your data even if a virus or a cybercriminal finds a way to your system. Start with identifying the essential information your business couldn’t function without.
Cloud storage solutions are a cost-effective and efficient way to back up your important data since external devices like a USB stick or a separate drive can get infected with viruses and malware.

Also, there is a question of theft, fire, or other damage that can leave you without data backups.

Cloud storage services encrypt the content for data security and offer storage at affordable prices.

Few more safety tips

Finally, if you want to add another significant step to keep your business safe, consider encrypting your data to deter malicious attacks from accessing your sensitive information.

Setting up a guest network for clients, vendors, and others visiting your office limits the users and activities on your business network, thus protecting the important data.

Many cybersecurity measures are inexpensive, yet they protect against hazardous threats ensuring your business is prepared in the case of a cyber-attack.

Take advantage of these measures and make sure your cybersecurity is top-notch at all times.

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