No matter whether you are running a business that exists entirely in the online world or one that only dips its toe in the water in the digital sphere, you are still going to need to put the proper protective measures in place. Otherwise, it is all too likely that you are going to end up in a situation in which your business is at risk. This is largely down to the fact that there are more and more criminals out there that are operating in the online world, and you need to be highly careful if you want to avoid anything risky occurring.
There are plenty of different steps that you can take along the way when it comes to better protect your business online. Many of these are highly simple, but they are just not completed, which means that hackers have a wide-open front door rather than a fence perimeter that they need to scale. So, here are a few of the best tips and tricks that you can put into practice when it comes to better protecting your company online.
Ensure Updates Are Completed as and When Needed
First of all, you are going to need to ensure that the right software is installed in the first place when it comes to anti-virus, firewalls, etc. You can also use digital asset management software such as Brandfolder to keep everything protected in the way that it all needs to be. However, this software cannot simply run unaided, and it needs to be updated on a regular basis to ensure that it is working in the best possible way. While it may feel like it is frustrating to continually have to make these updates, they are in place for a reason, and a big part of this comes down to the fact that cybercriminals are updating their tactics all the time, and the software simply needs to move along with them. Otherwise, it will not be doing its job in the most effective manner. Therefore, you certainly need to make sure that you are completing these updates as a point of priority. Many of them can be scheduled at a time that is convenient to you. For many people, this means that they happen overnight rather than needing to occur while they are using the device. If you are running a larger company, this needs to happen on all of your devices, as just a single laptop that is not updated can act as a window inside.
Keep Sensitive Data Encrypted
This is an especially important tip when you are running a company. While it is great to put your data behind passwords and two-factor authentication, there may well prove to be some files in which this is simply not enough. In these situations, you are going to need to use proper data encryption to ensure that these files are not readily accessible by anyone and everyone. This means that even if the data does happen to fall into the wrong hands for one reason or another, it is not going to be easily read and accessed in a way that it otherwise would be able to. As you will have already been able to guess, this is a highly important step to take.
Put Proper Staff Training in Place
While you may be completing all of the best practices when it comes to keeping your data protected, if your staff members are not doing this, it can easily lead to a situation in which hackers are targeting the weak link in the chain. Therefore, there certainly needs to be some cybersecurity best practices included in the initial training program that you put in place. Not only this, but you need to think about doing the same when it comes to creating an employee handbook, as this is a document that can keep being referred back to time and time again.
At the same time, you also need to make sure that this training is refreshed on a regular basis. There may be some new practices that you need to put into place that are being overlooked for one reason or another. There are plenty of different areas that need to be covered, but as an example, it is certainly important that your members of staff are able to spot a phishing email from a mile away. This way, they are not going to be taken in by a relatively obvious scam, but one that still yields excellent results for the hackers, which is why they continue to rely on it time and time again.
All of these are among the main steps that you need to put in place when it comes to keeping your company as protected as it possibly can be in the online world. To begin with, you should be investing in the right software as a point of priority. However, this is simply not going to be enough on its own, and you need to make sure that all of the necessary updates are installed on a regular basis. Not only this, but you need to ensure that all of your staff members are doing the same thing as you and have the necessary knowledge.
Obviously, there is plenty that you can be doing regarding passwords and two-factor authentication, but you should also be encrypting any files that are especially sensitive as you certainly do not want them to fall into the wrong hands if you are otherwise able to prevent this from happening at all. Beyond all of this, you need to keep staff training as up to date as possible. Think of your least tech-savvy employee and how you are going to educate them in this field. This is going to help you out in a significant way when it comes to ensuring that the training is done in a way that is highly accessible and not too confusing for them, which is important.
About The Author
Muhammad Bilal
I am a highly skilled and motivated individual with a Master's degree in Computer Science. I have extensive experience in technical writing and a deep understanding of SEO practices.