If you’re asked about your company’s cybersecurity, your first thought might be that your cybersecurity team can handle everything themselves—after all, that’s what they’re hired for, right?
While it’s true that IT support is advantageous—businesses with a dedicated cybersecurity team can identify and contain a data breach 54 days faster than businesses without one—there are cybersecurity best practices that your company can employ now to make sure your data is safe.
The Importance of Cybersecurity
The 2023 global average cost of a data breach was USD 4.45 million—which, compared to the last three years, is a 15% increase.
Cybercriminals are becoming more sophisticated through employing advanced techniques like phishing, ransomware, and social engineering attacks to exploit your employees. These attacks not only jeopardize sensitive data but can also result in financial losses and damage to your company’s reputation without the proper cybersecurity best practices in place.
The rapid emergence of technologies like cloud computing, artificial intelligence, and the Internet of Things (IoT) has only increased ways to attack. Companies must be proactive and think about measures like outsourcing IT to keep ahead of the latest cybersecurity threats.
Improving your business’s cybersecurity leads to benefits like:
- Enhanced Trust Among Customers and Stakeholders: A strong cybersecurity setup signals to your customers that their data is safe, improving your company’s credibility and trustworthiness.
- Prevention of Data Breaches: Implementing good security measures helps prevent data breaches, which protects your company from potential financial losses.
- Compliance with Regulations: Good practices can also help your business comply with data protection laws and regulations to avoid any fines and penalties.
- Ensuring Business Continuity: By protecting against potential cyber threats, you can ensure your business operations continue without interruption.
You can start improving your business’s security now by setting a standard for employees about cybersecurity best practices.
5 Ways To Improve Your Cybersecurity
Let’s dive into five simple but effective cybersecurity best practices that can dramatically bolster your cybersecurity defenses and help keep your data safe.
1. Implement Strong Password Policies
Enforce the use of complex passwords that include a mix of uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers, and special characters. Tell your employees to regularly update passwords to minimize the risk of unauthorized access.
2. Regularly Update Software and Systems
Keeping systems, software, and applications up-to-date ensures that your business is protected from software vulnerabilities that cyber criminals could exploit.
3. Employee Training on Email Security
Educate your employees about the risks associated with email, such as phishing and malware attacks. You can train all of your employees to recognize and report any potential threats.
4. Use of Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)
MFA adds an extra layer of protection to your systems by requiring users to provide more than one form of identification to gain access. Without this identification, cybercriminals struggle to breach an account.
5. Strong Network Security
A strong network security can be achieved by implementing measures such as firewalls, intrusion detection systems (IDS), and secure Wi-Fi networks. Regularly monitoring the network for any unusual activities can also help you identify potential threats before they can cause significant damage.
These cybersecurity best practices may not be all you need to prevent a cyberattack, but they are your first line of defense against potential threats to your company.
Unity IT Guarantees Your Success
At Unity IT, we can streamline many of these cybersecurity best practices to make sure your business is safe. With cyberattacks constantly on the rise, it’s important to have a team you can rely on to make needed changes to your security setup. Contact us now for a free consultation.