Cybersecurity is a critical safety component for your business, employees, and customers. Despite this, many organizations don’t make it a high enough priority and end up paying for it in the end.
Luckily, you can implement some simple measures and learn how to improve cybersecurity. Below, learn the definition of cybersecurity and then read seven essential tips for making your data and technology more secure in your workplace.
What Is Cybersecurity?
Cybersecurity includes proactive and reactive practices and policies safeguarding an organization’s internet-connected components. There are at least nine elements of cybersecurity:
- Application security
- Cloud security
- Critical infrastructure security
- Data security
- Disaster preparedness
- End-user education
- Network security
- Operational security
- Physical security
Make Cybersecurity a Top Priority
It isn’t enough to state that cybersecurity is important to your business or organization; you have to put action behind your words. That often means devoting a more sizable portion of your annual budget to cybersecurity.
It should also entail getting the word out to all staff who use internet-connected devices. We’ll discuss training in more depth below, but make them aware of what cybersecurity is. Be sure to give the dates of trainings well in advance.
Take a Realistic Inventory
The first step to bettering your organization’s cybersecurity is identifying your weaknesses and opportunities for improvement. You should also pay attention to what you’re doing well.
Your IT service provider should be able to assist you in assembling a comprehensive report on the state of cybersecurity within your company. You and your colleagues can then use it to decide cybersecurity priorities moving forward.
Improve Your Infrastructure
In almost all cases, experts recommend starting with improvements to infrastructure. Even with extensive training, robust software, and best practices, if your hardware and other infrastructure elements are weak, so is your organization as a whole.
Your IT company can assist you in finding the best investments, recognizing that you likely have a limited budget for improvements. They can also suggest vital upgrades over time.
Employ Best Practices
Once you’ve made all the upgrades you can, it’s time to start deciding how staff at all levels of your organization should behave. Work with your IT company to determine best practices for cybersecurity within your industry.
Best practices might entail a wide range of things, from instituting two-step authentication for high-risk accounts and activities to using a WPN rather than a WiFi network.
Spell It Out
All of the best practices in the world won’t help you if your employees aren’t aware of them. Remember that many critical cybersecurity precautions are not intuitive.
You’ll need to stay on top of your staff, and one way to do that is by laying out policies and procedures in writing somewhere that is easily accessible to them at all times.
Cybersecurity Training
The second part of involving your staff is training. You can’t simply implement new policies and procedures and expect your team to figure it out. They need training on how to recognize cyber threats and prevent cyber attacks. Many staff also need specific training against phishing attacks, which have become increasingly common.
Many organizations have instituted cybersecurity drills, where they’ll simulate different types of cybersecurity threats to see how their employees and infrastructure respond. These can be a helpful training exercise, and your IT service provider can help set it up.
Find the Best IT Service Provider
The most crucial thing you can do to protect your organization from online threats is work with a reliable, competent, and innovative IT service provider. Your company deserves a team of professionals dedicated to learning about your unique needs and concerns. Find out more by contacting TAG Solutions today.