Ways to Boost Data Security

As a business owner or manager, you have a thorough comprehension of the consequences of a cyber-assault or data leak. As a result, you may already be considering outsourcing your cybersecurity assistance or employing JCOMM and our IT security services to inspect your incident response plans.

Here are a few basic steps you can take to boost your organizational cyber resilience in the meantime.

1. Set up a system to track activity and report anything out of the ordinary. You can do this by using a cloud service that can identify suspicious behavior, such as frequent logins from the same IP address or access from regions where your service is not normally available.

2. Set up firewalls at strategic locations and create isolated areas of the network. These should be tracked to identify outliers like new users connecting from outside the organization or employees downloading proprietary software onto company-owned devices from unapproved locations like the internet or intranets.

3. Use strong authentication and various levels of encryption to protect sensitive information.

4. Make sure there are no repercussions for the data or the company's networks and systems when installing new software, especially if it is not a "standard-issue" or "authorized" tool.

5. Ensure your staff is trained on the 'What You See Is What You Send' principle to prevent sensitive information like credit card data from being inadvertently sent in emails.

6. Use "two-step" authentication whenever possible. This will help prevent hackers from accessing sensitive company information and the internal network.

7. Ensure all devices used by employees, whether at home or on the go, are firewall-protected against unauthorized access.

8. Always use anti-virus software, keep it updated, scan for viruses and other malware and disinfect your system to safeguard it from danger.

9. Encrypt your data. In addition to being the quickest and safest method of protecting sensitive data, this will also help businesses avoid the risks of data loss and unauthorized access.

10. It's critical to periodically test security controls and ensure that employees are well-versed in using them, as they are ultimately responsible for the organization's overall security. The stakes of digital security for businesses are extremely high, not just monetarily. Data and information leaks can have devastating effects on businesses. Thus, they must be protected from cyber-attacks.​

You also need a solid plan for dealing with cyber threats. The reality is that eventually, most organizations will be breached. It is prudent to be ready for this kind of crisis and to educate your personnel on the topic.

By JCOMM 10-11-2022