Preparing for Cybersecurity in 2016

How is your company preparing for cybersecurity this year? The security of your online data is important to your business and something that should be a large concern for you going forward. Just having a firewall on your server isn’t enough. You must take a lot of other steps to make sure your data is as secure as it can be. Big companies, and even the federal government, are getting hacked these days, with many high profile incidents happening last year. The federal government even had a data breach of their personnel records going back decades, and had to offer free identity theft protection and $1 million in identity theft insurance to millions of current and former employees across the country because of it. The hackers are getting more sophisticated, and if they can get into the databases of the federal government, they can get into yours.

Cybersecurity is important to your company’s future, and to it maintaining its good reputation. These are some of the things you need to do to prepare to have excellent cybersecurity in 2016.

Strengthen Your Walls

Part of ensuring good cybersecurity is strengthening the walls of your server. There is a lot of valuable date on your server. Your server walls are your first line of defense against the enemy, the enemy being hackers and data thieves. Your walls are your antivirus and spyware programs. These need to be continually updated so they are able to respond to new hacking threats as they arise. If they aren’t up to date, you are essentially giving the hackers the keys to your kingdom. The enemy may eventually break down your walls, but having them as strong as they can be by keeping them updated on a regular basis will make you a less easy target than other companies. Casual hackers may find your strong walls and leave you alone, moving on to easier targets.

Make Use of the Cloud

The cloud is a valuable tool when it comes to cybersecurity. It is like keeping your treasures in a secret location with professional guards, that only the most intrepid criminals can locate and break into. Keeping data on your own servers makes it vulnerable not only to sophisticated hackers, but to employees who may desire access to the data to start their own companies or ruin the reputation of yours for their own nefarious reasons.

When you keep your data in the cloud, it is not on site at your company, and is about as protected as it can be. This is because your employees don’t know where to find its physical location, and the data itself is protected by professional “data guards.” They have access to all the newest technology to keep your data secure from even the most intrepid and creative of hackers. If there are attempted hacks on your data, the professionals will handle it, make your data more secure, and inform you after it’s already done. It’s easy to move your data to the cloud. It won’t even disrupt your business operations, and is a very worthwhile move when it comes to cybersecurity.

Make Sure Only Authorized Personnel Have Access to Databases

This is a smart practice whether you have your data in the cloud or at your business. The fact is, not every employee needs access to every database at most companies. Controlling who has access to certain databases, by making sure your employees only have access to the ones they actually need to do their jobs or obtain information about their benefits and payroll information, is simply a smart practice when it comes to cybersecurity. When you give access to databases to everyone, or to people who don’t require access to those databases, you are providing more opportunities for security breaches to occur. Employees may not always follow proper security protocols, and they may even give access to people who don’t work for your company. Database access control is a very important part of modern and effective cybersecurity.

Use Security Audits as a Necessary Tool on a Regular Basis

You should be using a third-party auditing company on at least an annual basis. Using one on a semi-annually or quarterly basis is even better. They are impartial observers who are trained in cybersecurity, and can tell you exactly where your security needs improvement (as well as how to improve it), and where it is on top of things. Because the auditing company is impartial, it will notice things internal auditors from your own company would miss. When you combine a regular schedule of auditing with the other cybersecurity improvement methods listed here, your security will be as flawless as it is possible to be. No data is every 100 percent secure, but using proven techniques for enhancing your security, and getting an auditing company like I.S. Partners, LLC on the job will keep you ahead of the competition and protect your company’s finances, future, and reputation. Contact I.S. Partners, LLC today to get started making sure your company data is protected and secure. Call us at 215-675-1400 or request an online quote!