As IT security consultants and managed service providers, we are business partners who provide clients with enterprise-level IT. We specialize in overwhelmingly intricate technology and keep ourselves abreast of the latest cybersecurity developments. However, as with all partnerships, you have a role to play, too. Here’s how you and everyone in your team can play a proactive role in your business’s cybersecurity. Before any small- or medium-sized business (SMB) can work toward preventing cyberattacks, everyone involved needs to know exactly what they’re up against. Whether you’re working with in-house IT staff or an MSP, you should review what types of attacks are most common in your industry. Ideally, your team would spearhead this review a few times a year. Once you have a list of the biggest threats to your organization, you need to take stock of how each one threatens the various cogs of your network. Map out every company device that connects to the internet, what type of data they have access to (regulated, mission-critical, low-importance, etc.), and what services are currently protecting those devices. By reviewing current trends in the cybersecurity field and auditing your current technology framework, you can begin to get a clearer picture of how you want to prioritize your preventative measures versus your reactive measures. Before you can start improving your cybersecurity approach, you need to know where your baseline is. Devise a handful of real-life scenarios and simulate them on your network. Network penetration testing from trustworthy IT professionals will help pinpoint weak spots in your current framework. All these pieces will complete the puzzle of what your new strategy needs to be. With an experienced technology consultant on board for the entire process, you can easily synthesize the results of your simulation into a multipronged approach to proactive security. As soon as you focus on preventing downtime events instead of reacting to them, the productivity and efficiency of your IT infrastructure will increase to levels you’ve never dreamed of. Start your journey to enhanced cybersecurity by giving us a call for a demonstration.
Understand the threats you’re facing
Reevaluate what it is you’re protecting
Create a baseline of protection
Finalize a plan
Proactive measure What it entails Security awareness seminars for all internal stakeholders Train everyone from the receptionist to the CEO about effective security practices such as password management, proper mobile device usage, and spam awareness. Updated anti-malware software or cloud-based service Protect your data and systems against the latest and most menacing malware. Routine software patches and upgrades Minimize the chances of leaving a backdoor to your network open. Web filtering services Blacklist dangerous and inappropriate sites for anyone on your network. Perimeter defenses (e.g., intrusion prevention systems and hardware firewalls) Scrutinize everything trying to sneak its way in through the borders of your network. Policy of least privilege Limit users’ access only to the data they need to fulfill their tasks. Data segmentation Rank data according to sensitivity and build micro-perimeters around high-value datasets. Full-disk encryption Make data stored in computers and portable devices unreadable so that if these machines are stolen, the files they have inside remain secure. Virtual private networks Make data transmitted across unsecured connections unreadable so that intercepting it would become futile. Strict access controls Prevent unauthorized access to accounts by using strong passwords, multifactor authentication, and auto screen locks and logouts for idle users. AI-powered network monitoring Identify suspicious user and software behaviors such as employees accessing files outside their departments.
Swift Chip is your IT partner in business growth and profitability. We love our clients—and here’s why they love us too:
Get this NEW release book on Amazon that basically takes the wisdom from some of the most well-known writings about warfare, political intrigue, martial arts, history, and strategy and applies it to modern-day cybersecurity. The tools and techniques have changed, but the primary principles remain the same in protecting modern data systems.
Buy NowWe believe that “small things do count”, so we have built some initiatives in our business to help others less fortunate than us. One of these is that we’ve partnered with an organization committed to planting trees and saving lives in the process. Eden Reforestation Projects reduces extreme poverty and restores healthy forests by employing local people to plant millions of trees every year. The way it works, is that whenever we finish working on a service request for you – our system sends a quick 15 second survey (yes, it honestly takes 15 seconds) to find out how we did and to make sure we’re keeping our support levels world class. For every completed survey, we plant 8 trees (through Eden Reforestation Projects). Here’s a quick video to see the impact they’re making. It’s our goal to plant 24,000 trees in 2022 and we’ll need your help.
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