Keeping Your Business Safe: Six Cybersecurity Techniques You Can Use

No matter what sort of business you run, cybersecurity is becoming increasingly important. Businesses of all types are readily adopting new technology to make their day-to-day easier, and while the benefits usually outweigh the negatives, it’s key to be aware of what can go wrong and how to prevent cyber attacks from happening.

In this article, you’ll learn about six of the best techniques for keeping what matters most safe!

1. Continuous Penetration Testing

Penetration testing is where a business will hire an ‘ethical hacker’ to attack their infrastructure and try to gain access, thereby exposing key security flaws that could be exploited by a real hacker.

These are usually performed annually or twice a year in some cases, with the downside being that the simulated attack only gives you a representation of your security there and then.

Continuous penetration testing uses a mixture of human testing and automation to constantly try and penetrate your systems, meaning that if there’s an issue, you’ll be aware immediately.

2. Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)

MFA is a relatively simple security measure that can profoundly decrease your risk of being hacked. It works by adding an extra layer beyond your passwords, requiring anyone who logs in to also provide some form of secondary verification, such as facial recognition, a fingerprint scan, or a code that’s sent to another device.

It can be pretty easy for hackers to gain control if only passwords are present to prevent them from doing so, as even strong passwords can be cracked or stolen.

3. Endpoint Protection Methods

The term ‘Endpoint’ refers to the devices used at the end of the chain to access a network, such as laptops, tablets, and smartphones. Endpoint protection platforms (EPP) work a lot like the anti-virus software you’re used to on your computer, but they’re more robust than that.

EPPs use a variety of different tools, such as advanced firewalls and clever data analysis techniques using machine learning, to offer layered defence for a given computer network, helping to better identify potential threats trying to penetrate the system.

Given that remote work has become more popular these days, they’ve become particularly useful; EPP enables for large scale management of many different types of devices at once, ensuring no stone is left unturned.

4. Keeping Your Systems Up-to-Date

One of the easiest ways to protect yourself against nefarious actors is to keep your hardware and software updated. Hackers are constantly looking for holes and flaws in a given system to exploit, and the developers of those systems are hard at work patching and providing updates to remove those weak points.

If you’re using an older version of software, you won’t benefit from this patched-in protection. Routinely check each system in your business for new updates, and ensure you have alerts/notifications turned on so that you’re immediately aware of them.

5. The Importance of Employee Training

The modern systems discussed do a great job of detecting a dealing with threats automatically, but it’s also essential that you and your staff are aware of what sorts of security risks exist, too.

Cybersecurity training should be a fundamental part of the onboarding process when a new employee is inducted into the business, and periodically, you should get the team together for a training session to make sure everyone’s still up to speed. You’d be surprised at how many people don’t know how to spot basic things like phishing emails, and simple risks like these can have wide-reaching consequences.

6. Backing Up Your Data

And last but most certainly not least, there’s backing up your data. While the above methods greatly reduce your risk of being hacked or becoming a victim of a data breach, you’re never 100 percent in the clear.

In the event that something does happen, it’s essential to have all of your important data backed up so that it’s not lost forever. This is important not only from a hacking perspective, but also from one of human error: data gets lost all the time, and inevitably, someone’s going to make a mistake somewhere at some point.

You should ensure data is backed up on-site on physical hard drives as well as in the cloud for maximum security.

Wrapping Up

There are other methods for building and implementing robust cybersecurity within your business, but the above techniques are the perfect place to get started. Consult with qualified experts along the way, and no matter how strong your system is, review things periodically to check everything’s working as it should be.