5 Cybersecurity Steps Your Company Probably Forgot to Take

With all of the hustle and bustle at work, it’s easy to overlook basic cybersecurity steps. Your company wouldn’t be the first. In fact, over half of small businesses don’t have a dedicated cybersecurity plan.

The problem is that many business owners have no idea how risky it is not to take cybersecurity seriously. Hackers are smart, and they know the main vulnerabilities of companies: weak passwords, naive employees, and reluctance to update software. Make sure none of these apply to your company by implementing the cybersecurity steps listed below!

1.  Securing passwords

Passwords get hacked every single day, and there are many ways to do so. Brute force attacks, spyware, and keylogger malware are just a few things to look out for. Since hackers are always out there hunting for sensitive information, it’s your job to make it as difficult to get to as possible.

Securing passwords means:

• using different passwords for all of your accounts;
• using difficult passwords;
• changing your passwords regularly.

To save yourself from the hassle of worrying about your password security all of the time, start using a password manager. A password manager can keep your passwords safe in an encrypted digital vault, readily available to you and anyone within your company who has authorization. Click here to learn more.

2.  Educating employees

When it comes to cybersecurity, every member of the company must be on board. If a single employee clicks on a link infected with a virus, it can rip through the company’s entire database. Inform all employees on basic cybersecurity measures to take, such as:

• avoiding unknown links and websites;
• looking out for phishing schemes;
• never sharing sensitive company data with outsiders.

Once all employees are familiar with these basic cybersecurity steps, your company will become much less vulnerable to cyber attacks.

3.  Updating software

When you’re swamped with never-ending tasks at work, it’s easy to forget software updates. After all, they just waste your time and don’t provide any noticeable advantages, right? On the surface, it would seem so. What you may not know is that software updates are a crucial part of cybersecurity.

Data breach after data breach has taught us that no software is bulletproof. Even the most advanced apps can get hacked. Most software updates are sent out to patch these security flaws and protect your data, so don’t miss out on any updates and instruct all employees to do the same.

4.  Backing up data

Your company has loads of valuable data, including login credentials, customer data, social media posts, articles, and many more. If all of this data was hacked and erased, it could destroy your business. You just don’t think about it as long as it hasn’t happened.

When it comes to cybersecurity, you should always be prepared for the worst, which means having a reliable data backup. Even if your company does have a backup, see if it needs any updates. If your business constantly receives new and valuable data, then you should set automated backup updates. Only then can you sit back knowing that your company’s data is safe.

5.  Controlling access to important information

It’s easy to add all important information to a single database that every employee has access to. This way, there’s no need to separately give out login info or manage restrictions. After all, you trust your employees, right? Well, it’s not that simple.

Data breaches happen all of the time and may be due to:

• Insider threats. You never know what your employees are thinking. Maybe competitors paid them off? Maybe they didn’t like the way their boss treated them today? Even the most unexpected people can damage your company on purpose;
• Accidents. To not be too cynical, you should know that data leaks can be accidental, too. Maybe an employee falls for a phishing scheme. Maybe their device gets infected with malware. Maybe they send an email with important information to the wrong person. Again, you never know what can happen.

It’s best to keep important data under wraps. Sure, managing the data will be a more complex process, but it will pay off in the long term.