When we think about the term “cybersecurity,” we think about antivirus software, strong passwords, and not downloading anything dodgy online. There’s a lot more to it than that, though. With a few simple, proactive measures, you can boost your business’s data security significantly.
Why a Proactive Approach is Best
When it comes to online security, there are many viruses floating around cyberspace. It’s only a matter of time before one comes into contact with your system. That’s why it’s imperative to take a proactive approach.
What Proactive Measures Can You Take?
Security Awareness Training
Start by booking security awareness training for your employees. This is exceptionally important because not everyone is aware of the potential risks. They may be engaging in risky behaviors without even realizing it.
Even the best antivirus software is not much good if your employees are clicking on dodgy links or downloading files off the internet.
This training will cover the following.
Information About Common Attack Vectors
Hacking is not always about stealing information. Some hackers are out to cause as much chaos as possible. For these hackers, destroying your files is a goal in itself. Ransomware takes a more prosaic approach. The goal is to lock the system owner out completely. If the ransom is paid, then system access may be restored.
The point is that there are many reasons that people hack. Understanding the strategies that they use is step one in protecting yourself.
Recognizing Phishing Attempts
We’re not dealing with those blatantly obvious Nigerian prince emails here, but rather the more subtle kinds. Those that slip under the radar and look perfectly legit. Phishers have upped their game significantly over the past few years.
They’ll pretend to be clients, senior executives, and so on. The aim is to either get information out of you or to get you to transfer money to them. The scary part is that most people aren’t able to recognize a phishing email.
General Security Tips
You already know some of these, but the training will update you on the current best practices. Thirty years ago, a strong password was eight characters long with a mix of letters and numbers. Today we can double that length, and also throw in special characters and mixed-case letters.
You know that you should create regular backups. But did you know that you should back up your systems in two separate locations? That way, if disaster strikes, you also have a spare backup copy.
You get the picture of what the training offers.
Now Get A Great Email Scanning Application
Your final proactive step is to get yourself an email scanning application. The cloud-based programs are the most convenient option because of they:
· Don’t take up space on your servers
· Automatically update themselves
· Scan emails before they are delivered to your server. So, the phishing emails are weeded out before they have a chance to cause an issue.
These applications use artificial intelligence to check the context of messages being sent. They look for signs that a message is dodgy. They then quarantine those messages so that someone at the company can review them later.
Final Notes
When it comes to proactive measure, security awareness training, and getting a great email scanning program are two measures that can take your system security to the next level.