Many businesses neglect their cyber security. Implementing the right security precautions can seem difficult, but it needn’t be. In this blog post, we are exploring the best ways to keep your IT network safe and secure.
What options are available?
Cyber security has come a long way, and there are many different angles you need to consider when planning a secure network including internal and external risks. First, let’s talk about internal risks.
Inside your business
A lot of ransomware attacks and IT security-related incidents are a result of poor security training within a company, and people fooling for phishing emails (they are becoming increasingly less spammy looking, so it’s important to keep up to date with what to look out for). Astaris always recommends staff training to help your employees know what to keep their eyes peeled for. We use Knowbe4, a cyber security training company that provides online training courses as well as sending fake phishing emails to test your employees and see if they recognise the risks.
Another internal factor you should be thinking about is passwords. Are your passwords strong enough? Who knows them? Are they written down on a piece of paper in case you forget? All these things can make your business easier to breach. All passwords should try and contain letters, numbers, and special characters. A 12-digit password with at least one upper case letter, a number, and a symbol is virtually unbreakable and will take around 34,000 computer years to crack.
Outside of your business
Of course, some of the risks are a threat from the outside. Phishing emails are the biggest contributor to ransomware attacks and as much as your employees should be looking out for malicious content, it sometimes slips through the cracks.Â
One of the best ways to protect your business against this from happening is spam and ransomware prevention software. Installed onto your computer it automatically filters through emails removing malicious content from your email inbox. Not to mention the lack of spam in your inbox, it’s a win-win!
The best way to tackle all internal and external risks is with a security package that includes spam and ransomware protection, Knowbe4 training, umbrella software, and Backupify.Â
How does your hardware affect your security?
 When choosing equipment for your venue or office, you should consider investing in high-quality, business-grade equipment.
Astaris’ go-to recommendation is Cisco Meraki top of the range and has all the speed, reliability, and security a business needs for its IT network to run. For smaller businesses with smaller budgets, we recommend Ubiquiti it offers the same reliability and security for smaller venues and buildings.
Protecting your dataÂ
Bakcupify, which is included in the security package updates and back-ups all the data and information. If in the rare case your business does end up in a position of losing or having data breached, you can rest assured that your data is still recoverable.
Another way to help keep your data safe is with cloud computing. This isn’t necessarily a security risk, it’s more if your hardware (computer) gets damaged, lost or stolen. Cloud computing replaces the need for some hardware and all your data and files are stored securely in ‘the cloud’ and can be accessed anytime, anywhere. Not to mention it allows you to better control who has access to your data.
If you need help or advice on how to stay secure, why not get in touch with our team?
