Did you know that more than half of small businesses are forced to close down if they get hacked? A company may have been thriving before the attack, and then one employee accidentally clicked on a malicious link, through which all important business data got leaked.
The recent couple of years have shown a tremendous increase in attempted and successful attacks on businesses, so business devices are as susceptible as ever to cyber attacks. Ignoring cyber threats can be very dangerous, and a company without powerful cybersecurity practices in place is pretty much a ticking time bomb.
All business devices must be safeguarded as much as possible. It’s not just a matter of cybersecurity. It’s a matter of the survival of your business. Here are 7 easy ways to safeguard all of your business devices from cyber attacks.
1. Use secure passwords
The passwords used on business devices must be as secure as possible. If you don’t want any business passwords to be guessed by hackers, then they must be very complicated. Ideally, the passwords should be so complicated that they would be nearly impossible even to remember. But who would want to deal with remembering passwords like that?
Well, to really improve your business’s cybersecurity, an enterprise password manager will store all of your business passwords. No need to remember them one by one and no need to write them down in your notebook. Thanks to auto-fill, no need to type them in, either.
2. Install a firewall
A firewall can help protect your business devices from unauthorized access. Whether a hacker tries to plant malware on your device or tries to access it by intercepting unencrypted wifi, a firewall can detect such malicious acts and deny access. You can set any firewall instructions you’d like. For example, you can set a firewall to detect employees who are snooping around somewhere they shouldn’t, which can help prevent data breaches from inside sources.
3. Brief device controllers on threats
The security of each business device mostly depends on the user’s behavior. If an employee is aware of the main cyber threats, they’ll be able to detect deceptive scams from hackers and avoid them. However, if an employee is not educated, it’s just a matter of time before they get their business device infected with malware or they fall for phishing. Phishing is when malicious actors trick employees into clicking on a malware-infected link or giving out internal company data. Make sure all controllers of business devices are briefed on the most prominent threats in the cyber arena and keep them updated.
4. Back everything up
Always keep a secure backup of everything. In the event that a business device gets hacked and wiped clean, a backup can save the day. Hackers aren’t the only thing to worry about. Employees can always lose their devices, natural disasters can damage servers, or devices can simply break down. There should be backups of all general company data, such as website content and user data, and each device should have a separate backup as well.
5. Use encryption
By encrypting company data, you protect it from anybody who might try to spy on your business devices. First, encrypt company email because company email usually has a huge amount of sensitive data. Also, install VPNs on all business devices when employees are working remotely. By doing so, you will protect all business devices from the dangers of unencrypted networks.
6. Update business devices
Business devices should always be updated. First, this refers to software. Software updates are important because they contain security patches for system vulnerabilities. Imagine the frustration you would feel if your business got hacked because of something as simple as not updating software? Take those few minutes out of your day once new updates are released because they’re more than worth it. Also, if your hardware is too old for the newest software updates, then your company should definitely invest in new devices.
7. Read up
Cybersecurity is an ever-changing arena. Believe it or not, hackers follow cyber attack trends just like people follow fashion trends. If you stay educated on the most popular cyber attacks, you can know what to expect and how to protect your business.
For example, one of the biggest threats lately has been ransomware. In case you’re unfamiliar with this term, it’s when a hacker attacks a device and blocks all access to its data. They then demand that the device owner pays a specified sum of money to get their access back. Cyber attack trends are sure to change in the future, so stay updated!
Conclusion
Your business is always susceptible to cyber attacks because there’s no such thing as a business that hackers aren’t interested in. From ransomware to spyware to viruses and worms, business devices can get infected with malware at any time. However, you just learned that there are some great ways that you can protect your business devices. Don’t waste any more time and get to implementing these steps right away. Who knows, they might save your business from a destructive cyber attack in the future.