Cyber security should be your main priority. Hackers and phishing scams have become increasingly sophisticated. At a minimum, they cheat you and your employees out of money. In the worst-case scenario, they hijack your entire operations and hold your business hostage unless you pay the ransom. In this case, your business may be deleted and erased from the face of the earth.
The threat of cybercrime is only growing by the day. That is why you must take a proactive stance on your security by using these four tips.
Move to the Cloud
The cloud offers many great benefits, particularly for small to medium-sized businesses. If you don’t have the budget for multiple server rooms that back up data automatically, your information is redundant (in other words, safe if one server room is struck with disaster), then the cloud is the way to go.
The cloud is a great choice since it allows businesses to back up their data and allows companies to seamlessly expand their operations. All you need is to pay more, so there’s minimal downtime, and you gain immediate access to more space.
Cloud-based platforms and software are also a great way to further secure your system. After all, the cloud company itself is largely responsible for your security. So long as you train your employees and use all the available security features, you get far more peace of mind than operating on your own.
Cloud-based programs are also typically better to use since they allow you to do more with less. Take a cloud-based API management platform, for example. With a cloud-based approach, you can speed up development time, distribute your APIs more easily, and even analyze and manage your API development all in one space. Integrated solutions like that save time, effort, and energy, allowing you to get more out of your investment simply by moving to an adaptable solution like the cloud.
Train Your Employees
Human error is the leading cause of a security breach. Your employees may click on a link that they shouldn’t have, they may have downloaded a virus on their personal computer and brought that to work, and so on. In most cases, a leak due to an employee is entirely accidental. You could even be the weak link.
That’s why it’s important to train your employees so that they can protect themselves at work and at home. Offering work phones and computers that they only use for work and not for personal reasons is another way to prevent your endpoints from becoming a weak spot.
Limit User Access
Every employee needs to have an entirely unique ID and password when using your system. If they can have separate passwords for different programs, even better. On top of having unique login information, they should also only be able to access the information that they need and nothing else. This limits the risk of employee fraud (where employees actively steal information or cause harm to your company) and accidental leaks.
After all, if their social media login details are stolen due to a hack, that login information won’t be useful for your business. With that simple step, you’ll have prevented a hack.
