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In 2022, the wonders of technology are no surprise to anyone. Businesses have switched to automated software, digital applications, and cloud computing devices.
After all, these tech-savvy solutions are increasing efficiency and productivity levels. But unfortunately, all the perks of technology come with their fair share of risks and challenges.
Haven’t you heard of enterprises paying enormous fines for data breaches? Hackers and cybercriminals steal confidential information from savvy applications and sell it to third parties.
Sometimes, they’re willing to return all the data for a few million dollars. In simple words, increased reliance on gadgets and technology leads to cyberattacks.
Either way, companies have to suffer from financial and reputational losses. In worst-case scenarios, these attacks can drive the company out of business. So, what should companies do?
Even though there is no hard and fast way to eliminate cyberattacks, you can only take a few preventive measures, devise contingency, or make backups.
Perhaps, you can search for vulnerabilities in the system and patch your internet-facing devices. If you want to learn more, here are six ways business owners can cope with the rising number of cyberattacks.
1. Encrypt & Backup Data
When storing data on cloud servers, you must turn on network encryption. It will convert your data into a secret code while you share it over the internet.
Even if hackers try to steal information, they won’t get anything but different codes. It reduces the risk of breaches and tampering, saving your business from losses.
However, encryption isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. You have to hire a team of certified professionals. Finding these professionals is time-consuming.
Some cybersecurity professionals are still learning new ways to devise preventive measures, while seasoned ones can be expensive.
You need a cybersecurity specialist with an MS Cybersecurity degree to manage your entire IT infrastructure.
Why? Because an MS qualified cybersecurity specialist brings all the skills and knowledge necessary to design a comprehensive preventive strategy against internet threats to ensure your data is safe from prying eyes.
2. Train Your Staff
Have you heard of phishing attacks? Most hackers send emails with tempting offers to ensure employees click on a link claiming to be from a known source.
As links and emails seem legitimate, many employees fall into the trap and give away sensitive data. At times, they also impersonate someone in the organization and ask for confidential information.
Therefore, employee awareness is crucial as they’re the first and last line of defense.
Initially, educate them about the importance of maintaining strong passwords. Likewise, explain how to identify and avoid cyber threats.
Most importantly, your employees should know what to do when encountering a cyber threat. For instance, if they receive an email asking for data, they must crosscheck the email address and contact the person before sharing anything.
Your cybersecurity team should be accessible 24/7 so that staff can reach out to them without any hassle.
3. Secure Your Devices & Network
All the desktops and laptops in the office premises are vulnerable to cyberattacks. Hence, you have to secure all devices and networks. Here are some of your options.
- Keep the Systems Up to Date: You must ensure that the operating system and security software are updated automatically. Updates fix security flaws and glitches, closing doors for cyberattacks.
- Set up a Firewall: A firewall is a software that creates a security wall between your desktop and the internet. It acts as a gatekeeper for all incoming and outgoing traffic, protecting your business’s internal network.
- Turn on Spam Filters: Adding these filters can save you from all the phishing emails that can infect your systems. Hence, acting as an added security layer.
4. Manage Passphrases
Gone are the days when passwords were sufficient to protect data. You have to use passphrases to ensure hackers don’t break into the system.
A passphrase is a password like a phrase or a collection of different words. These phrases are easy to remember for humans, but machines can’t crack them in one go.
Therefore, aim for passphrases that are at least 14 characters long. Also, your passwords will be harder to guess or crack by including capital letters, numbers, and special symbols.
Most importantly, you have to ensure the passphrase is unique. It would help if you weren’t using the same passphrase for all your accounts.
Besides this, use administrative privileges by allowing someone to undertake higher or more sensitive tasks. You can create a standard user account with administrative rights so hackers can’t guess or break into the system.
5. Conduct Regular Audits
Truthfully, it is impossible to eradicate the risk of cyberattacks. However, you can put measures to review and assess cyber protection to ensure it is optimal.
It will ensure the system identifies potential weaknesses while taking measures to strengthen your defense.
As regular audits can be time-consuming and expensive, you have to go step by step. First, check for system updates and identify potential gaps.
You can even recommend changes to decrease the maintenance efforts. Secondly, assess the risks to your business operations and see if they align with mitigation strategies.
Knowing your business and customer data is secure will give you peace of mind while protecting you from losses.
6. Professional IT Security Services
Without sufficient security measures, a business runs the risk of losing clients and data, which might result in severe operational issues as well as legal issues. A crucial part of an IT support company’s job is advising consumers on how to prevent harmful actions and offering the best data protection solutions. A digital protection service from an IT support company ensures that your staff are safe online from risks like ransomware, adware, and spyware. The IT support provider fosters client confidence by successfully defending the company from all types of cyberattacks. Only when customers are certain that their personal information is secure will they trust your business.
Due to the Internet’s ability to connect attackers with a bigger global victim pool, the complexity of cyber-security has increased. One of the most challenging aspects of information technology is cyber security but with an IT support company your business and staff are given the greatest tools, strategies, and assistance in fending off cyberattacks and criminals.
Final Thoughts
As we step into a more digitized era, the risk of cyberattacks will keep increasing. Even though there isn’t a surefire way to protect business, you can adopt cybersecurity measures for protection. Besides password requirements, you must enable two-factor authentication to avoid unrestricted access to the systems.
Likewise, train your employees and secure the network to prevent cybercriminals from breaking into the system. These few measures can mitigate cyber threats and ensure your business is safe from losses.
