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Written by: Kevin Gardner
Keeping your business network safefrom intrusion is paramount to your company's success. If someone from the outside could hack in and gain access to sensitive company information or customer data, your business may be compromised beyond repair. The best thing you can do is find the proper security tools to fit your business's needs and goals. Whether you use an in-house IT department or contract help from outside, you may benefit from bringing up these five measures you can take to lock down your data from corruption.
1. Identity and Access Management
Controlling who can access specific data from both inside your organization and out is a process that should be implemented soon after your system is up and running. This type of system, known as identity and access management or IAM, gives employees, clients and contractors access to only those portions of your network relevant to their jobs. With it, you can carve out distinct profiles and define users based on their role within the company. It also allows supervisors to take away access from any portion of the system should their job function change. IAM also makes it easier to take away network privileges upon an employee's termination or exit from the business. The IAM helps create portals that can be interchanged and interconnected to make transitions seamless to other users and the company as a whole.
2. Firewall
Attack from outside is a real threat to any computer user. Whether the user is part of a business network or a personal one, hackers try and gain access to data in an attempt to steal and exploit information. A firewall is just what it sounds like. It is the first line of defenseagainst these attacks. The stronger the firewall, the less likely something like viruses or malware breaks through. If they do, having more than one type of security system against such attacks is a crucial element of protecting your network from a breach.
3. Password Management
One of the significant risk factors for enabling cyber attacks is the regular practice of saving passwords. When an employee is in the habit of keeping passwords saved in browsers, they become prone to matriculation to people who should not have access to those sites. Password management software can help keep encrypted passwords safe by storing them in a stronghold of sorts. The software allows users to create passwords that meet stronger parameters such as using a multitude of characters, letters, uppercase and number sequences. You can set these password management systems to automatically generate strong passwords every time a user is prompted to change expiring ones. This also aids in stopping the practice of using one password across multiple sites and systems.
4. Antivirus Software
In the age of cyber attacks, hackers tend to infiltrate business networks through viruses. Inside these infections, hackers implant worms or codes that can siphon out sensitive information such as client payment information and passwords to business banking sites. An excellent protective measure is antivirus software. An IT department can recommend the type of software that would work best with your network and other safety implementations currently existing. Antivirus software usually acts in concert with a firewall to add a layer of protection in case the firewall is breached.
5. Antispyware Software
Spyware is becoming a tool for hackers to get a bird's eye view of your systemthrough and even take control of it. This type of virus can be installed remotely or at the source. One of the ways hackers get spyware onto business networks is by sending bogus emails prompting employees to reset a password or click a link to download something. These emails seem entirely legitimate. When the link is clicked, it allows the spyware to install itself on the computer. It can then see everything the computer does, including accessing sensitive information.The only way to protect your network is through the use of multifaceted cybersecurity. Consult with your IT department to establish your business's computer protection against malicious invasion.
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