Security efforts for small business owners are often limited to wireless, remote view cameras or the services of a security agency New Orleans company. While these options may take care of a noticeable threat to the safety of company employees or theft of property, cybersecurity threats can be infinitely more damaging to a company and its consumers and harder to detect. Here are some easy ways to defend your company from dark web threats and cyberattacks.
Use Strong Passwords
A strong password is the first step you can take to protect your electronic devices and digital information. Always use a combination that involves ten or more characters that are a mix of letters (capital and lower-case), numbers, and symbols. Don’t be tempted to make it easy to remember and rely on combinations of your birthday, initials, or other personal information.
Establish a Firewall and Device Protection
While it is possible to purchase security packages for your connected devices, you may be better off hiring a third-party team of IT experts to handle your security concerns. Firewalls are the first line of defense for your company, as they manage all internet traffic for your business. The security packages you purchase should include anti-malware and antivirus protection. These programs will search, detect, remove, and prevent cyberattacks from trojans, worms, adware, and more.
Always Perform Updates
It can be tedious to wait for your computer or device to update, but these are critical to the security of your company. Updates install patches and fixes for weaknesses in the system that can be exploited by hackers and cybercriminals. Be careful about the apps that are downloaded to your mobile devices, but these need to be continually updated as well. Set your devices to automatically install updates, and it will avoid gaps in coverage or potential downtime.
Use Encryption on Mobile Devices and Laptops
Portable devices have a higher risk of being stolen, and security measures need to account for this possibility. In addition to password protection, have devices encrypted. Without the right password, access is denied. There is also an option to enable an automatic lock-out or wiping process if the device has been stolen or lost.
Schedule Backups
Rather than worry about storing data on your device, schedule backups to occur at least once a week. Cloud storage is a convenient and safe option, but you may want to rely on external hard drive backups as well.
Cybersecurity is just as important for your business as physical location security. These are simple steps that you can take to protect your data from hacking or other cyberthreats.
