Cybersecurity is an ever-growing concern for businesses. While their obvious worry is about sensitive data breaches and leaks, cyber weakness also hurts innovation. In a recent study by Cisco, a stunning 71 per cent of executives said concerns over cybersecurity had impeded innovation at their companies.

Many organisations view cybersecurity as a daunting, complex task that requires an immense budget and workforce. Such entities often lack effective means to protect their data.

If you want to prevent your company from potential risks, there are some simple steps you can take. Start by committing to these cybersecurity resolutions for 2020.

Educate and empower your employees

Employees are the most vulnerable part of your whole cybersecurity infrastructure. The lack of even basic digital knowledge makes it hard for average tech users to make the right decisions about how to protect themselves online or what data to share. Therefore, training and a comprehensive understanding of the digital basics are vital for protecting your company. People need to feel like they have a right to point out security flaws.

“Change your password” day

According to the recent findings, many people don’t put enough creativity into their passwords. It’s shocking, but the most common ones are still “12345” and “QWERTY”. To make it worse, many people also recycle their passwords and use the same ones for their enterprise and personal accounts. A “change your password” day once a quarter or every six months would be a good way to encourage employees to think about strong, complex passwords. Another good idea is to use a password manager and train your employees on how to use one.

Accurate list of inventory and accounts

Make sure you have the most up-to-date inventory and account list. Then review it – are all of those in use and actually needed? Many employees receive dozens of accounts for various tools and then never use them. Such unattended accounts can leave security gaps as no one is checking for suspicious activity. If the account is not being used, delete it.

Have backups and test them

While it’s pretty common to have backups, some companies forget to test them. Then, when push comes to shove, they wonder why it didn’t work. Make sure to test your backups and do it frequently – perhaps schedule them for the whole year in advance.

Legislation and its impact

Although the most famous and most struggle-inducing was the GDPR law, industries such as healthcare, finance, or manufacturing have separate legislation concerning data and breaches. Review current and upcoming legislation and set up some time to understand your responsibilities. Also, create a roadmap to make sure you and your customers are complying with laws.

Use a VPN

Although your organisation might use an intranet for private internal communications, more and more people are choosing to work from home or public places. In this instance, it is essential to use a VPN. It creates a secure encrypted tunnel between your employee’s device and the internet – or your company’s server.

Encrypt your files

You should start encrypting your company’s documents – whether they are stored on a computer or in the cloud. When you use file encryption tools, even if hackers manage to steal important documents, they will not be able to access their content. Moreover, the safest way to share your company files with clients or within the organization is by encrypting them first.

The team at Austbrokers Terrace have a comprehensive knowledge of cyber insurance. Speak to them today abou your requirements for cyber protection.

Source: Inside Small Business