How to Protect Your Company From Cyber Security Threats

How to Protect Your Company From Cyber Security Threats

Online activity continues
to grow for individuals and companies alike. After the events of 2020, more
individuals 
entered the digital world to communicate and shop. By the
end of the year, almost
five billion people, close to 60% of the global population, were
online.

This greatly increased the
risk of cybersecurity threats. Despite the pandemic and other events of 2020,
companies and individuals were still subject to malicious activities in the
form of cyber extortion. Billions of dollars in investments and personally
identifiable information (PII) were lost.

While no solution will
erase the risk from these threats there are several ways you can protect your
company. Here are a few examples.

Virtual Private Network

If you are looking for easy
ways to improve company protection, a common one is a Virtual Private Network
(VPN). Based on servers at your main office or the Cloud, VPN creates a secure
tunnel for employees to access their workplace environment.

To log in, users must
request access. Once approved by the network administrators, employees enter
their workplace username and password for verification. At that point, they are
directed through a private IP address/hostname that’s invisible to the outside
world.

A VPN provides the
necessary protections for not only employees but the data they access. It
minimizes the risk of malicious activity since cybercriminals cannot track the
path the user takes.

Another great thing about a
VPN is that you could be anywhere in the world and no one can track your actual
location which can help in a number of ways. For instance, if you live in
England but you want to access the internet as if you lived in the U.S. all you
would have to do is turn on your VPN and select the location that you want to
be searching in. This is super helpful for gaining followers in other countries
on social media. So while it does keep you protected it can also help to boost
your marketing. Check the latest offers on the IPVanish VPN black Friday deals.

Multi-Factor Authentication

Another way to secure an
employee’s access to the work environment is multi-factor authentication (MFA). This is an
added layer to the standard username/password combination that is easily
accessible by cyber extortionists. Though that information might be hackable,
getting into credentials protected by MFA is nearly impossible.

The reason is how it works.
Normally, after an employee enters their credentials, the MFA software sends
them a code. This is via a text message or an actual phone call. Provided with
a random numerical passcode, the employee enters the code. Once verified, they
are permitted in their device or a program.

It’s nearly impossible for
cybercriminals to crack this because they need to have the physical device in
possession to get the code. Even if they did gain the ability to see the code
the MFA system wouldn’t allow access, especially if it was sent to a different
phone number than registered.

This can help to greatly
reduce the risk of security threats to your business and gives you an air-tight
way to make sure that only the employees that you want to give access to get
the access. If someone is trying to get in but doesn’t have the authority in
the company they would also not be able to access the information. Many
companies are already doing this to protect their customer’s data as
well. 

For instance, in order to
access your Google account on another device, you can have your Gmail set up to
send you a verification code on your phone in order to access the new device.
This helps google customers to keep their information secure without always
having to remember a password, and if someone does get ahold of their password
it doesn’t matter because you would need that person’s code on their phone to
access the account. 

These kinds of verification
processes can really save you as they are so good at keeping personal accounts
and work accounts secure.

Hardware and Software Updates

VPN and MFA can only
maximize their protection if what they shield is regularly updated. Thus,
hardware and software changes must be implemented immediately to maintain
business integrity. You might consider looking into certain types of software
that can enhance your security and give you peace of mind. When you decide to
get cyber risk management software from a company like Axio
you will be able to have state-of-the-art security from having a high-quality
software set that is created to keep your tech secure.  Minus that
activity and your organization remains an easy target for cybercriminals.

You can’t let your
employees guide your decision to upgrade because they’re used to their
environment. Complacency is a dangerous precedent to set as it leads to poor
security. Thus, everyone needs to have their system updated regardless of how
they feel.

Hardware and software
upgrades aren’t only for the user equipment. It also has to take place on data
servers and network equipment. It’s especially critical for the latter. Without
regular updates, firewalls and routers don’t have the necessary information to
block viruses or hacks. The result is increased cybercriminals activity.

Outsource
Your Security

If you have limited IT
resources to handle your security concerns then it’s a good idea to outsource.
First, you bring in a team of subject matter experts who understand IT
security. Second, they have an understanding of all workplace sizes. In turn,
they’re able to provide the right security solutions for your
organization. 

Yes, there is a large
initial payout for this type of service. However, the return on investment is
greater for your company. It’s going to be in the form of strong security
mechanisms that protect your finances and the PII of workers and customers.

Though this is a small
percentage of ways to protect your company from cybersecurity threats, they are
the most important. Without them, you run a greater risk of hacks and other
forms of cyber extortion.

How
to Get Started

The best way to start
improving your protection is to get a risk management audit from an outside source.
They’ll do a review of your current environment and provide suggestions on how
it can be improved. They also might be able to see holes in your security that
you might have overlooked and therefore, help to steer you in the right
direction.  And can also give you insight into what you might be doing
wrong and how you can improve your security without too much extra work. 

This is a great way to see
where you are at and see what the best plan of action will be for your company
based on its particular needs. While many of these things you can start by
yourself it is always wise to have a professional examine your needs and what
the best plan of action will be for your company.

The time to update your
security is now. Whether you just need to make some minor modifications or some
major changes to your security, now is the best time to start getting ahead of
the curve. If you value your company and want to keep your data protected, the
best thing you can do is start with one of the above-mentioned security
updates. With added protection, you will help your company to stay safe and
profitable.

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