Cybersecurity is just as much about prevention as it is about disaster response. However, you won’t have to worry nearly as much about responding to cyberattacks and breaches if you create a digital fortress to prevent them. Cybercriminals get more creative with each passing year, as do cybersecurity experts.
Today, having multiple layers of security is becoming the standard, but many have yet to adopt this strategy. This is just one example of the cybersecurity blind spots that many businesses have. However, it’s never too late to overhaul your business’s digital defenses.
Prioritizing Cybersecurity is More Important Than Ever
Neglecting cybersecurity is like throwing money in the garbage can, but it’s more complex than that. Cyberattacks and data breaches can not only harm businesses, but they can also harm their customers. That alone is enough to make any business owner want to improve their digital defenses.
The financial and reputational damages that accompany cyberattacks aren’t worth it. You can significantly boost your cybersecurity protocols and systems with a few simple steps, including:
-
Identify Limitations
The first step to strengthening your business’s digital defenses is recognizing its limitations. Sometimes, this is difficult if you don’t bring in outside help, especially if your business doesn’t have an IT department. However, the first question you should ask is, “What is our plan if we suffer a cyberattack?”.
If you don’t have an answer, then you’ve already found the first limitation. Next, you should consider how many defensive layers you have, how old your password is, and how old your operating system is. It’s also important to consider whether or not your data is backed up, and if so, how secure it is.
Another major weakness that many businesses encounter is that they let their employees use their personal devices. This is a huge red flag for any cybersecurity specialist, and it can leave your business at risk. It’s worth taking the time to have IT and cybersecurity specialists examine your current setup. Doing so will help you figure out what must change.
-
Mandate Staff-Wide Training
Cyberattacks can hit businesses from many angles, and everyone on the staff must understand this. It’s a mistake to train only some of the staff to identify and avoid cyberattacks, such as phishing scams. You can’t strengthen your digital defenses unless the whole staff is on board.
The best way to ensure everyone understands the risks is to invest in cybersecurity training. For example, you can have your cybersecurity team host a seminar and provide resources for the whole staff. It’s also worth bringing an outside third-party cybersecurity team to train your staff.
However, you must keep up with this, as cybercriminals develop new tactics all the time. It’s important to continually update your team to ensure they don’t have any cybersecurity blind spots. Your staff can largely avoid many common threats even if they have the most basic cybersecurity skills.
-
Insulate Your Defenses
The more defensive layers your cyber infrastructure has, the less likely your business is to suffer cyberattacks. Multi-factor authentication (MFA) makes it much harder for hackers to breach your network, steal information, and spread viruses. They may get through the first layer of defense, but they will struggle to continue further.
Sadly, passwords aren’t enough to deter skilled cybercriminals, so MFA is essential in today’s climate. Some businesses won’t even store passwords digitally, and that’s understandable. However, you can keep your passwords safe if you use a secure password manager.
The more walls you put up, the less likely you are to get hacked and suffer serious data breaches. It’s also important to create complex passwords and change them as often as every 30 to 90 days.
-
Switch to Zero-Trust Security
Zero-trust security is similar to multi-factor authentication, but it’s stricter in many ways. As the name suggests, zero-trust security requires verification for every action, leaving no room for security breaches. This can be time-consuming, but it can also create an airtight digital defense framework that is even more secure than MFA.
MFA goes hand in hand with zero-trust security, but zero-trust security takes it several steps further. Granted, it can take some getting used to, and you may need to bring in an outside cybersecurity firm to implement the system. However, many companies find it worthwhile, as cybercrime is projected to cost the world $10.5 trillion in 2025.
-
Create a Cybersecurity Response Protocol
Isolating viruses and breaches before they cause significant damage is essential. However, this is quite difficult if your business doesn’t have a cyberattack response protocol in place. Every company should create a cybersecurity response protocol to isolate and extinguish threats as they arise.
Cybersecurity response must start long before an attack occurs, or else it will be too late. First, you must get together with your IT staff or an outside cybersecurity firm to create a plan. From there, you must meet with department heads and key staff members to explain the protocol.
Come up with safe communication methods, such as encrypted applications, to easily share information during cyberattacks. The key is to ensure your staff doesn’t unknowingly spread the virus further within the company. By isolating the virus, it becomes much easier to eradicate it and minimize damage. Make the cybersecurity response protocol a part of the onboarding process for new employees, so it’s ingrained in each employee.
Improve Cybersecurity Today to Prevent Disasters Tomorrow
Local businesses, national companies, and worldwide corporations all risk devastating cyberattacks. Preventive measures are much more effective than incident-based cybersecurity responses. The best thing you can do to strengthen your business’s digital defenses is to train and continually update your staff about cybersecurity protocols.
Today, it’s hard to justify having one password-protected safety barrier. Multi-factor authentication and zero-trust security are becoming the standard, and they can save your business lots of trouble and money. Today, it’s worth seeking help from outside cybersecurity firms and training your staff accordingly to avoid new threats as they arise. It’s never too late to overhaul your digital defenses.
About the Author
Ryan Ayers is a researcher and consultant within multiple industries, including information technology, blockchain, and business development. Always up for a challenge, Ayers enjoys working with startups as well as Fortune 500 companies. When not at work, Ayers loves reading science fiction novels and watching the LA Clippers.
Leave a Reply