Modern businesses operate via an increasing number of devices and file sharing between employees.
Enterprises benefit from a highly connected network to ease work processes and coordinate tasks more efficiently. However, more devices mean more potential entry points for hacking attacks.
Vulnerability to cybercrime grows exponentially with the volume of your work system. As a business owner, you should take the time to ensure data security and protect your business network to the fullest.
To give you a hand, here’s a list of five ways to minimize risk and ultimately create a fortress to protect your sensitive data.
Table of Contents
Implement File Protection Software
High-end antivirus software grants multi-layered protection against viruses, malware, ransomware, spyware, and potential data breaches that follow a successful hacking attack.
To keep all of your files and folders in order, away from prying eyes, you should consider installing reliable antivirus on all of your work network devices. Unless you have disabled file sharing on your network, you should ensure that all of your employees can share data through secure encryption.
You can benefit from features like active disk cloning to set up a Windows or Mac system copy while in use. You can also expect simplified file management, used space optimization, and more efficient file transfer.
Initiate NIST Assessment
The National Institute of Standards and Technology develops tech, metrics, and standards to boost innovation and competitiveness of U.S.-based organizations, mainly in the science and technology industry.
However, even if you run a company in a different industry, you can still benefit from NIST guidelines.
In general, NIST provides a framework for security documents, publications, and whole organizations. They outline a vast volume of cybersecurity guidelines, including safety requirements on file protection, vendor eligibility, system optimization, and more.
Performing a network audit can identify and assess the following:
- Potentially exploitable vulnerabilities within the system
- Open ports
- Overall Firewall strength
- Antivirus and antimalware software performance
- Unused apps running in the background
- The overall health and security level of your servers, software, and apps
- The robustness of data backups
Following the audit, you can use the detailed report to review your security and possibly protect your business network more optimally.
Use a Firewall, WPA2, IPS or IDs, and VPN
A Web application firewall (WAF) protects clients’ data (personal details, purchase info) and keeps your employees from accidentally visiting malicious sites.
Wi-Fi Protected Access uses encrypted protocols for router passwords. To protect your business network, it’s best to enable WPA2 to deny unauthorized access to your devices.
What is more, you can use IPS or IDS to detect and prevent cyber threats efficiently. The software detects worms or viruses and negates their impact on the spot.
To complete the pack, you can set up a virtual private network (VPN) to secure connection between remote computers (home, mobile) and local devices in your office. Having a VPN lowers the chance of a successful hacker breach significantly.
All-Around Cybersecurity Software
We’ve mentioned file protection software but let’s take it up a notch.
On-prem cyber protection increases your defenses against cybercrime, optimizes your system, eases file management and protects from malicious remote computer access.
To start, you can replicate local backups on a cloud via cloud security software; this ensures dual protection, as you store files safely on and off your primary network. You can automate backups, monitor them, and initiate universal restores at any time.
Full-image, file, and folder backup ensures real-time protection, grants additional anti-ransomware and crypto-jacking security, and enhances data safety via vulnerability assessments and on-demand antivirus scans.
Furthermore, you can enable web filtering to block malicious URLs, use end-to-end AES-256 encryption on all of your files, use video conferencing protection, create user-defined passwords, and implement electronic signatures, and balance CPU load within the system.
Promote a Secure BYOD Policy
Bring Your Own Device is both a significant efficiency booster and a challenge for businesses globally.
If your employees bring their laptops, tablets, and smartphones to work and use them to conduct business, then you need a BYOD security policy to protect your business network.
Enterprises and SMBs benefit from employees using their own devices; that reduces costs for company equipment purchase and maintenance. However, external devices, if left unprotected, can be devastating for an office network.
Defining a stellar BYOD cybersecurity policy is crucial to avoid hacking attacks, data breaches, and compromised systems.
Here’s a basic outline of BYOD safety requirements:
- Consider and assess which apps and assets are your employees permitted to access via their personal devices
- Calculate the minimum required security control for those devices
- Ensure each device operates under SSL certificates for authentication
- Implement data wipe protocols for stolen or lost personal devices
Besides, it is vital to educate your employees on BYOD guidelines and cybersecurity best practices.
If they know how to protect their devices against cyber threats, your business network will operate on a higher security level. As a bonus, a comprehensive cyber protection education will take a load off of you and guarantee long-term cybersecurity for the whole enterprise.
Summary
Running a prosperous, secure business can be challenging in today’s cyber threat landscape.
Owners need to be aware of system security weak links, monitor, examine, and negate potentially exploitable entry points for hackers.
File protection software, NIST assessment, on-prem cyber protection, cloud security software, and BYOD security policies are simply the cornerstones of a secure office system.
Antivirus, encryption, and educated employees are essential to protect your business network and minimize the risk of a successful hacker attack.
The process of optimizing your network requires time and effort, but you don’t have to do it alone. You can seek professional cybersecurity assistance to create all-around network protection, keep a close eye on possible weak spots and innovate to nullify the chance of compromised sensitive data.
