How confident are you that your business can repel a cyber attack? Small to medium-sized businesses (SMBs) might consider themselves safe but think again. In 2021, 61% of all SMBs reported being the target of a cyber attack in the last year.

Security incidents cost businesses money in many ways. The most obvious is the interruption of business activities. However, companies also suffer from theft, reputational damage, and fines.

Each business needs to put into place a robust company cyber security policy. Keep reading for our 5 steps to developing and implementing cyber security policies.

1. Understand Your Company’s Vulnerabilities

The first step is understanding your business’s cyber security weak points. Involve your IT team to determine the entry points an attacker could exploit for access. Also, note what sensitive data could be of interest to attackers.

Review your current cyber security policies and technology for possible improvements. For example, adding cloud storage and cloud cyber security services decreases your chances of a data breach.

2. Create Realistic Cyber Security Policies

Not every business can spend thousands of dollars on security each month. The key to creating an effective cyber security policy is to make it realistic for your business.

Create your security policy document by detailing all data that needs protection and how you will do it. This part of the policy should be the most detailed. Implement the changes in stages if there are many of them.

Remember to include how a response team will handle potential cyber attacks.

3. Ensure Compliance with Regulations

The cyber security policy must comply with regulations. At the federal level, there isn’t a single act that governs all data protection. Instead, there are hundreds of federal and state data protection laws.

Some federal laws, such as the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), are sector-specific. Thus, companies need to ensure compliance with all laws relevant to them.

4. Provide Cyber Security Training

It’s no use having cyber security policies if staff do not adhere to them. Training is essential for outlining risks and common cyber attack methods. Company culture should include cyber security as everyone’s responsibility.

For example, staff should recognize phishing attempts. This is a common way cybercriminals use unsuspecting employees to get login credentials.

5. Audit and Test Your Systems

After implementing your cyber security policy, you need to monitor its effectiveness. Firstly, ensure there are audit logs of all prohibited actions for transparency.

Secondly, conduct cyber attack readiness assessments. Put your systems to the test by simulating cyber incidents, such as malware and password attacks. Carry out further training as needed. Also, consider extra security solutions where you find weaknesses.

Don’t Fall Prey to a Cyber Attacker

Businesses cannot rely on luck to keep their data and services safe. Thus, it is necessary to develop and implement cyber security policies. These should cover all aspects of stored data and how your company will protect it.

Take advantage of cloud services to increase cyber security at your company. We connect businesses with providers of voice, data, and cloud services. To find the best products for your business, contact us today for a free quote.

According to research, 55% of those in the IT industry claimed to have experienced a cyber-attack of some sort, and 50% had suffered an actual data breach. Under these circumstances, it’s no surprise that IT network security safeguards and IT security best practices have become increasingly important to those within the industry. Considering this fact, understanding the following industry best practices will help increase your company’s security.

IT Security Best Practices:

1. Identify Your Sensitive Data:
Each company will be forced to address handling confidential data, including simple things like ID information, social security numbers, and more. Once you have determined the nature of your sensitive data, you have taken the first steps in protecting it from incursions. Identifying vulnerable data and keeping records on it will serve you well.

2. Focus on Your Employees:
One of the most common originators of sensitive data leaks and security issues are your employees. This fact means that educating employees on security risk is essential. You must implement a security awareness training program to impart the importance of a secure workplace so they can make informed choices. The most common attacks businesses face comes in the form of social engineering and phishing tactics targeting your employees.

3. Protect all Your Computers:
IT journalists have reported cybercriminals that make targets out of businesses that do not have the necessary transaction controls, authentication procedures, and red flag reporting capacities. To avoid these issues, every computer on the premises must have antivirus software, firewalls, and other security programs installed.

4. Social Media Oversight:
Your business cannot be separated entirely from social media. Consequently, you must empower your employees with specific guidelines when using social media. An essential initial step would be something like labeling content confidential and inappropriate for social circulation.

5. Protecting Mobile Devices
With an ever-growing number of sensitive mobile devices in offices where vulnerable data is circulated, part of securing your IT networks means scrutinizing smartphones and tablets. Consequently, encrypting all approved mobile devices and providing the mobile devices can save your company from a catastrophic security breach.

6. Developing Security Partnerships
Partnering with third parties and vendors who work to build committed IT network security safeguards uniquely tailored to your needs is essential. When looking for partners find one with a reputation for handling information security and ongoing support to businesses within your industry.

Any successful business needs robust network security alongside a thorough risk management plan. Denial of service attacks, data breaches, malware and viruses are just some of the security threats that can bring a business to its knees. As a business owner or a technology expert, ask yourself if you’re prepared for these important aspects of network security.

Maintain physical security. Make sure every point of access to your network is controlled and protected. This typically involves establishing secure areas and requiring access cards or other means of personal authorization.

Educate your employees on how to protect every aspect of your network and company.
Defend your perimeter. When it comes to protecting your network, one of the first steps is to put antivirus software and firewalls in place. You’ll also want to include software for intrusion detection and monitoring.

Next, consider what level of encryption your company needs, and whether to set up a VPN for inbound and outbound traffic.

Finally, a security plan is only as good as its most recent security updates. So, be sure to include patch management in your security workflow.

Control system access. Any user access to company systems or networks should always be subject to automatic log off. In addition, users should be required to create and maintain strong passwords. Also make sure to track login activity and network access, and then monitor these activity logs on a regular basis.
It can be overwhelming to know where to start when it comes to network security. That’s why it’s best to go through a professional risk assessment to determine what kind of security risks your company may be exposed to and how to limit the chances of a potential security breach. Contact us today learn more about the proper security measures to take for your company.

Most organizations have made a sincere effort to address cyber security threats; However, many enterprises miss the mark due to some common errors and misconceptions.

Read on to find out more about the cyber security myths faced by contemporary enterprises.

Myth 1

Cyber security issues belong to the IT department only

It is true that the IT department with its multiple technological controls is highly prone to cyber threats. It’s important to note that problems can arise from anywhere within the organization.

Myth 2

Security breaches affect the bigger organizations only

Whether you are an enterprise or a startup, the risk of security breach still exists. It is imperative that every organization apply and budget for the elements and resources necessary to apply a proper and secure network.

Myth 3

The latest security tools and technologies must be the primary focus to achieve maximum protection

Relevant tools and technologies are important for the optimal cyber security. The culture of cyber security must also be imbibed within the workforce and people must be taught to handle the processes in the most secure way.