If you’re the owner of a small or medium-sized business, you’re probably aware of the security risks your organization faces on a daily basis. While there are a number of ways to secure a brick-and-mortar business from intruders, securing your business from digital or legal threats is far more complex. Moreover, navigating dozens of business security systems can feel overwhelming.
Thankfully, protecting your business doesn’t have to be a nightmare. There are a number of ways to improve your cybersecurity, analyze problem areas, and protect your business from financial and legal risk. To help you protect your business, let’s look at 5 strategies to beef up your business security:
Keep Your Systems Up-to-Date
Running old hardware and software opens your business up to a myriad of cybersecurity threats. Whether you run a small business out of your home or a much larger operation with multiple locations, all of your devices and software should be replaced on a regular basis. Naturally, this will require an investment on your part, so you will need to factor these upgrades into your annual budget. However, you don’t always need to make big purchases to stay updated. Many programs offer updates with added security features free of charge.
Actively Monitor Your Security Data
When it comes to cybersecurity, a lot of business owners adopt a “set it and forget it” mentality. Unfortunately, this can invite a lot of problems down the road. Instead, you should continuously monitor and analyze your data to look for suspicious activity. Business security monitoring via cloud computing can help you stay on top of problems before they start. This way, you can minimize the effects of data breaches and implement new security protocols going forward.
Protect Your Business from Legal Obstacles
The cost of legal services takes a huge toll on businesses every year. Many businesses simply don’t have the resources to litigate or properly respond to PR issues. However, there are precautionary measures that businesses can take to help minimize costs and reduce the risk of litigation. For example, hosted call recording can help you store and recover important communications for quality assurance, recordkeeping, and general legal support.
Secure Your Devices Against Malware
Even with a strong cybersecurity system in place, both business and personal devices can be susceptible to viruses and malware. Depending on the type of malware, you could face damage to your devices, servers, or network. To make matters worse, malware often grants hackers access to sensitive data. Using the most up-to-date anti-virus software and monitoring Internet activity on your business network helps minimize these risks.
Consider Strict Access Control
If your business relies on access to specific software or devices, you might consider limiting this access to a select few. For example, let’s say your business has 10 employees, but only 4 of these employees need to use company software/devices. You might enact certain protocols so that only those 4 employees are granted access. There are several business security measures (password protection, multi-factor authentication, etc) that can help prevent others from accessing sensitive data. Additionally, you can limit operations on certain devices to only permit work-related activities.