Your business relies heavily on technology. It is your duty to protect sensitive data, prevent cyber attacks, and ensure business continuity for you, and your clients.
It’s also critical to review the technologies you use annually, audit and report on them, and scale as necessary for the future.
Why does it matter?
Technology outages will cost you. Financially, reputationally, operationally, or a combination of all three. This is what to expect when you have outages, so it is important to pay attention.
A robust technology suite can safeguard your business from these risks.
What can you do about it?
We’ve narrowed down this list to focus on the top 5, there are closer to 50 in reality. These are things you can review/change TODAY to help prevent something bad happening tomorrow.
- Implement strong password policies and Two-Factor Authentication (2FA): Enforce complex, unique passwords and use password managers. Add an additional layer of security for users via 2FA. If systems don’t support 2FA, don’t use them.
- Update and Patch Software on Workstations: Keep all systems up to date to protect against vulnerabilities.
- Backup Data: Ensure regular, automated backups are stored in multiple locations and are fully insulated from your network.
- Educate Employees: Train staff to recognise and respond to security threats, as the majority of breaches come via uneducated staff members.
- Review access controls: Use role-based access controls to restrict data access based on permissions.
- The list goes on….
Next steps/actions to take?
It’s best to review what technologies you currently have, what options are available to you, and update your current security practices based on the tips listed above. In addition, implement proactive monitoring and maintenance tools and policies to protect your business and your client’s data. Conduct regular staff training drills, simulated attacks, and draw up a communication process on how to inform staff and clients of outages. Continuously monitor and improve your security measures iteratively over time, so that you are always ahead of the curve.