It Security Measures That Companies Must Have

The attempts to steal data confidential and money or interruptions in your business are very real threats. Although a business can never be completely safe from these dangers, there are several security practices for your workers, processes, and systems that can help you eliminate security threats online.

Eliminate online security threats

Computer security refers to the protection and strengthening of computers and Internet-based systems against unintentional or unauthorized access, modification, theft, and obliteration.

Many modern small businesses use web-based technology and tools to carry out their day-to-day functions. Whether for long-distance conferences, advertising, buying and selling, research, identifying new markets, communicating with customers and suppliers, and even conducting banking transactions, the Internet and the cloud have become an integral part of smooth operation. of small businesses.

Although physical misappropriation in offices can be controlled with the help of technological aids and state-of-the-art security cameras, the virtual world is a different matter. The Internet can be a blessing, but it also has its share of risks and vulnerabilities. Along with the benefits, there are many risks involved that are growing every day. Many small businesses fall prey to cyberattacks due to loopholes in their cybersecurity measures.

Here are some computer security measures that every small business should have to protect themselves from virtual dangers.

1. Install reliable antivirus software

A good, reliable antivirus program is a basic requirement of any cybersecurity system. Besides, anti-malware software is also essential. They work as a final frontier for defense against unwanted attacks if they pass through the company’s security network. In addition, its mission is the detection and elimination of viruses and malware, adware, and spyware. They also scan and filter potentially harmful emails and downloads.

2. Use complex passwords

Almost all computer and web-based applications require a password to access them. Whether it’s the answers to security questions or the passwords, make sure to create complex passwords so that it’s difficult for hackers to break them.

For answers to security questions, consider translating them into another language using free online translation tools. This can make them unpredictable and difficult to crack, and less susceptible to social engineering.

Using a space before and/or after passwords is also a good idea to get rid of hackers. In this way, if you write your password, it will be safe since only you know that you need a space in the front/end. Using a combination of top and bottom hyphens also helps, apart from using alphanumeric characters and symbols.

3. Protect yourself with a Firewall

A firewall is necessary as it helps protect network traffic – incoming and outgoing. You can prevent hackers from attacking your network by blocking certain websites. It can also be programmed so that the sending of proprietary data and confidential emails from your company network is restricted.

4. Install encryption software

If you manage data related to credit cards, bank accounts, and social security numbers in a database, it makes sense to have an encryption program to keep the data safe by changing the information on the computer to unreadable codes.

In this way, even if the data is stolen, it will be useless for the hacker, as they will not have the keys to decrypt the data and decrypt the information.

5. Ignore suspicious emails

Get in the habit of never opening or replying to suspicious-looking emails, even if they appear to be from a known sender. If you open the email, don’t click on suspicious links or download attachments. If you do, you can become a victim of money and identity theft online, including “phishing scams”.

Phishing emails are those that appear to come from trustworthy senders, such as a bank or someone who may have done business. Through them, hackers try to acquire your private and financial data, such as bank account details and credit card numbers.

For greater security, you must change the email password every 60-90 days, in addition to not using the same for different email accounts and never leaving it written.

6. Limit access to critical data

In companies, the number of people with access to critical data should be minimal, the Director of the company and certain trusted people.

7. Back up regularly

Every week, you need to back up your data to an external hard drive or the cloud itself, or schedule automatic backups to ensure that your information is stored safely.

8. Wi-Fi network protection

To protect your Wi-Fi network from hackers, you need to change the name of your wireless access point or router, also called a Service Set Identifier (SSI).

9. Safe Laptops and Smartphones

Laptops and smartphones contain a lot of valuable data, and that is also why they are at a higher risk of data loss or theft. Protecting both devices involves encryption, password protection, and enabling the “remote wipe” option.

10. Communicate Cyber ​​Security Policies to Employees

Having a written IT security policy may not be enough, you have to make sure that its details are communicated and understood by your employees so that they can put them into practice. That is the only way to make these policies effective. It is also necessary to periodically modify these policies depending on the relevance of the content.