Your Data Security Hinges on Five Key Safeguards

It’s no secret that data security is of paramount importance, with phishing and ransomware making weekly appearances in the news cycle at this point. You need to prioritize your business data’s privacy. Otherwise, you’re apt to suffer from your data being accessed without authorization and all the consequences that come with this outcome. Today’s criminals are very capable, which makes it challenging to protect yourself.

Here, we’ve put together some essential strategies to make it easier.

Utilize Multi-Factor Authentication

A simple way to improve your security against unwanted access is the use of improved authentication protocols, including multi-factor authentication. Multi-factor authentication, or MFA, takes the traditional combination of username and password and adds an additional layer of security to it. By adding the requirement, as something you know (like a password), something you have (a token or mobile device), or something you are (biometric data), it makes it far more challenging for someone to access an account without being authorized to do so.

Train Your Team

With a lot of data breaches directly attributable to human error, it is important that your team knows the best practices that help prevent them. This will require comprehensive training in these practices, including (but certainly not limited to) recognizing phishing attempts and how to utilize proper passwords through password management. The more your employees know about the threats they face, the more likely they’ll be to spot them, should they encounter any.

Update and Patch Your Systems

One of the reasons that updates and patches are released is to help shore up vulnerabilities… vulnerabilities that many hackers rely on. As a result, regularly updating and patching operating systems, applications, and security precautions is a relatively simple way to cut down on a ton of potential threats. Automating these kinds of updates can help make this process far simpler, provided you monitor them to ensure they work.

Put Encryption to Work

Encryption is a means of ensuring that data is secure by encoding it, leaving it indecipherable without the correct decryption key. This helps protect data stored in a system, even if unauthorized access is gained, and also helps protect it while it is being transmitted.

Audit Your Security

With new vulnerabilities being developed all the time, it is important that you undergo regular security audits to ensure your business’ computing infrastructure isn’t suddenly exposed. By going over your network, applications, and infrastructure as a part of an in-depth assessment, you’ll be able to identify weak points and other issues to be addressed. Making this process a regular occurrence will help you remain proactive in your business’ cybersecurity.

Restricting Access and Permissions

Following the principle of least privilege is a good cybersecurity practice. Basically, if a user doesn’t need access or permissions in their usual day-to-day tasks, they don’t get it, giving them the minimum necessary to complete their roles. In doing this, you can put boundaries around the damage any one person’s access can do to your organization. It is also important that you check in on these permissions regularly to ensure they reflect your current needs.

Data security is key to a modern business’ success, extending all the way to the user. If you’re part of a business in Boston Metro and across the North East that wants to learn more about the security tools and strategies that BNMC will use to help protect your operations, give us a call at (978) 482-2020.