How to Improve Cybersecurity in Your Office Facility

Technology is constantly evolving and so does cybercrime. As new and more sophisticated tools are introduced, cybercriminals are developing new strategies for stealing data and causing massive business disruptions.

Lost revenue is just one of many consequences of lacking a robust and up-to-date cybersecurity program at the office. Allocating time and resources for reducing data exposure should help you steer clear of the risks that hackers pose to your organization.

Here’s a guide to help you implement a cybersecurity program that’s guaranteed to reduce risk:

1. Conduct an onsite audit

The first thing you will need to do is to do an inventory of all your IT assets. These should include both hardware and software. The purpose of this is to know what your facility is lacking and what improvements should be implemented in the short term and the long term. Consider whether your attack surface has expanded, perhaps because of a recent digital expansion. What is attack surface expansion? Follow the link to learn more.

You will need to work closely with your IT team to find out what assets should be replaced, modified, or updated. Apart from IT assets, it’s also important to put your current cybersecurity policies up for review. This will help you identify practices that should be continued or discontinued in light of your current security posture.

Compliance with security and privacy standards should also be included in your audit. As a matter of fact, a cybersecurity audit should help you evaluate compliance, according to Fed Tech Magazine. Since you might have to show a compliance report upon your customer request, it’s ideal you get familiar with the SOC 2 overview and HIPAA compliance standards (https://duplocloud.com/blog/hipaa-compliant-cloud-storage/).

An onsite audit is the first step towards boosting your security controls and ironing out data security issues that would otherwise go under the radar. After all, it’s impossible to reinforce your cyber defenses if you don’t know what’s lacking in the first place.

2. Make sure all your systems are upgraded

For the most part, your business’s vulnerability to the latest cybersecurity threats stems from the integrity of your digital environment. Regardless of the number of assets you have onsite, it’s important to keep all your systems up-to-date.

Updating software seems like an annoyance, but it’s something you wouldn’t want to skip, as software updates come with security patches that protect against the latest threats. In addition, software updates also resolve bugs and other issues that may affect performance and efficiency.

As you get started on updating your software assets, make sure to include all devices and systems. This should help reduce your organization’s exposure and ensure that all your platforms are performing optimally.

3. Secure your wireless connections

Does your organization provide wireless connectivity? A strong Wi-Fi connection has become a requirement for today’s companies. It also happens to be a favorite way for hackers to intercept data. Through techniques like DNS hijacking, hackers can obtain sensitive data that’s being transferred within and outside the office.

Securing your WLAN connection is a surefire way to prevent such risk. All you need is to use data encryption so that hackers won’t be able to decipher the packets of data they hijacked through your network.

A good rule of them is to set up WPA2 so as to enable data encryption. You may also reinforce your wireless network security by adding and updating firewalls as well as placing your router in a strategic location to prevent physical tampering.

Still, the best way you can protect your business from Wi-Fi hijacking is to set up a seamless WLAN connection from the get-go. This requires the help of service providers like McKinstry Wireless that specializes in setting up wireless networks that are less likely to fail.

4. Review your cybersecurity protocols

Success in improving onsite security will depend on how involved your employees are. After all, they are the first line of defense against hacking and data breaches. The only problem is that you can’t always expect your employees to do a good job in handling and storing login credentials and accessing work-related accounts outside of business premises.

For this reason, you should be able to draft and enforce updated policies that cover everything, from requesting PC upgrades to using personal social media accounts at the office. Effective IT governance is crucial to reducing the risk of data breaches caused by human errors and neglect.

To get started on this, consider holding regular seminars on cybersecurity. It’s also important to assign the right people who will ensure compliance and assess your organization’s security posture. You will also need the right tools in place for tracking user behavior and storing security keys. That way, your organization maintains full control over the entire digital environment and detects security threats as they happen.

5. Use the right cybersecurity tools and programs

When it comes down to protecting your organization from viruses and malware, you will need to be equipped with the right tools. Enterprise cybersecurity programs should include anti-virus and anti-malware platforms that are regularly updated. However, cybersecurity goes beyond the installation of anti-virus software.

Full protection should also include network security monitoring and web vulnerability programs. These will allow you to defend against threats across various entry points that hackers can exploit. You should also include penetration testing in the mix to see how your systems stack up against new risks.

You will need to pay a great deal to implement these platforms. Looking at the long term, though, the money you spend on cybersecurity software won’t begin to cover the potential losses you will otherwise experience. It’s better that you pay more for security than not paying at all, so start looking for enterprise-level cybersecurity platforms that match your organization’s needs.

6. Keep testing

Cybersecurity policies and trends are evolving year by year, so it’s important that you check on your systems and see how easy it is for someone to exploit your website.

Doing regular maintenance and evaluation should be an integral part of maintaining and improving your business’s security standing. For this, consider hiring an ethical hacker who can show you what your organization lacks in all areas of cybersecurity.

Cybersecurity shouldn’t be treated as an afterthought. The future and survival of your business rely on how well you prepare against the latest online threats.