Regardless of how big your company is, whether you have a work-from-home setup or going back to your usual operations, you must safeguard your data and files. Aside from financial risks, your survival as a company is also at stake. This is true especially for most small to medium-sized enterprises, as they are more susceptible to collapse due to data breaches.
Cyber thieves look for flaws in systems and networks and exploit them to get access to sensitive information. It is then utilized for a variety of purposes ranging from data theft to business infiltration. They also infect computers or commit other nefarious acts, such as illegal financial transactions or unlawful data dissemination to individuals and sites.
The price of being hacked
Hacks and breaches can be highly costly for organizations. Often, they are caused by technological and behavioral flaws, including an unguarded system or inefficient user authentication practices. Therefore, identifying the source of these security breaches is essential in learning how to prevent them.
Small and medium-sized businesses or SMBs are frequent casualties of these cyberattacks. Notifying your clients, settlements, compensations, and other indemnifications are among the most common expenditures associated with it. The cost of recovering all that was lost can go overboard, causing most of these businesses to close their operations permanently. Thus, taking steps to protect your business’s data is crucial.
The scope of a security breach can also have a significant impact on the consequences it has. One good example is the latest Facebook data leak resulting in millions of users’ personal details exposed on a hacker platform, putting a massive dent in the social media giant’s reputation. Not to mention the 3 billion settlement for year-long issues Yahoo has on stolen data and records. Not only that, breaches can go as far as colonial pipelines as hackers attack US petroleum pipelines, costing companies millions for ransoms.
Hatching new security protocols for remote work
Companies need to modify their risk management plans as remote work increases. Some concerns include leaving a computer unlocked, allowing youngsters or even strangers to log in, access, and read files infested with viruses and ransomware. Many additional problems emerge as innovations arise. Examples of these are the security of your company equipment, constant backups, regular system upgrades, and new safety training standards.
To safeguard your client’s information and ensure security on your company’s sensitive data, consider using the following security measures.
Offer training to educate your employees
First and foremost, make sure that your employees are aware of your firm’s security policies and how to identify security dangers, such as fake websites, spam, and phishing. Ensure personnel is well-educated with security awareness and training, and offer symposiums to keep them in the loop on current risks.
Protect your data
Outdated technology, programs, software, and any other devices that your business uses are generally susceptible to hacks and attacks. So make sure that you are running the newest version possible. If you keep documents and other sensitive or valuable data on your computer’s hard drive, keep in mind to have a regular check and on-time backup. You can do all these and opt for automated backup and updates by teaming up with trustworthy IT companies and other providers. Of course, you’ll never know when the culprits attack, so it’s better to be safe and well-equipped than sorry.
Keep track of your free and public Wi-Fi usage
Power interruptions and other emergencies, especially for work from home operations, force employees to look for a place to resume and finish their tasks. And because it is an unavoidable circumstance, organizations need to adjust by educating their personnel and staff about its risks and how to utilize Wi-Fi connections in public safely. For example, you can have an additional layer of security such as a virtual private network or VPN exclusively for your team to secure sensitive information that they need to access.
Verify, verify, and verify
Since cybercriminals generally have remote access to corporate assets, utilizing a two-step verification is essential to help combat possible hacks. Using this type of verification, anybody who attempts to sneak into your business accounts will be required to input a pin sent to the phone number or app you authorized. Getting these notifications will give you ample time to beef up your security and trace whoever it is that is compromising your business.
Organizations keep and retrieve confidential information on digital platforms regularly. But while doing this makes work easier for businesses, it also makes them more vulnerable to attacks online.
In this era where hacking happens almost every second, following online safety can help maintain your company‘s security, keep cybercriminals away, and ensure that your company’s cyberspace is secure and safe for anyone in your workforce to access.
