Keeping your firm secure is essential. If you have a data leak, you could spend a lot of money trying to recover it. One of the most efficient methods is to perform a security audit to determine where to enhance security the most.
We put together this list of tips to help you improve your firm’s security. The sooner you start making these changes, the better off your company will be in the long run. So, make sure to keep reading!
1. Conduct a Data Security Audit
Your first step should be to have a professional conduct a data security audit on your firm. The cybersecurity expert will check all your systems for areas where it’s easy to access and leak your company’s data. If they find something, they’ll tell you what changes will make your data more secure. Once you agree to the changes, they’ll implement them for you.
Oftentimes you’ll find weak areas in your systems that you would never have known about otherwise. You must find these weaknesses before someone else on the internet with bad intentions does. Doing so can prevent data breaches and other cyber-attacks.
If you’ve never conducted a data security audit on your firm before, scheduling the audit as soon as possible would be best.
2. Enable Two-Factor Authentication on Firm Accounts
Next, enabling two-factor authentication on any accounts you have linked with your firm would be a good idea. That would include any email, financial, and other business accounts that you don’t want anyone else to be able to access.
Two-factor authentication costs nothing and can increase your cybersecurity instantly. Enabling it requires you to use two different methods to access an account, hence the name. For example, you may have to enter a password, then a code sent to your smartphone to get into the account.
This feature can provide you with a lot of protection. Even if someone were to know your account password, they wouldn’t be able to get in without the other form of authentication. It can drastically enhance the security of your firm accounts.
Plus, it usually only takes a few minutes to set up. If you don’t know how to do this for your account, you can Google “how to set up 2fa on (platform),” and one of the first few links will have clear instructions for you to follow.
3. Switch To Encrypted Devices
Photo by Kenny Eliason on Unsplash
It’s also essential that all your firm’s devices are encrypted. If someone at your firm were to lose their smartphone, anyone who picks it up could potentially access all of your most important data. This situation could easily lead to a data breach.
An encrypted smartphone wouldn’t have that problem since no one could read its data while it’s locked.
Only those with the correct key can read the information on a smartphone with encryption enabled. It’s highly protected, allowing you to improve your security drastically at your firm.
You’ll also want to ensure that all computers and tablets that connect to your firm’s network are encrypted. Implementing policies about using personal devices to access firm data will also be essential since you won’t know if those devices are encrypted.
Overall, there’s a lot of data on these devices that people online want to steal. Turning on encryption can make it impossible for them to access that data, giving you more protection where your firm needs it the most.
4. Educate Teammates on Communication Methods
You must also let the rest of your firm know how you plan on communicating with them. Phishing scams can be a real problem for any firm and can cause real damage if someone falls for one.
Discuss how you plan on communicating with your team first. Tell them you’ll never ask them for their personal data online. Ensure they know what emails and phone numbers you’ll use, and keep them updated if that information changes.
Here are some common signs of phishing scams that you’ll need the rest of your team to know about:
- Many grammar or spelling errors
- Inconsistencies in email addresses, domain names, and other links
- The message feels threatening or has a strange tone
- The request is strange
- The sender asks for sensitive information
- The recipient of the message didn’t start the conversation
Educating the rest of your team on phishing scams can drastically improve your security. You won’t have to worry about anyone falling for it and leaking sensitive data about the firm.
It is also a good idea to review phishing scam examples with the rest of the firm when you have time.
5. Make Backups of Digital Data
Photo by Markus Winkler on Unsplash
Next, you can make backups of all of your firm’s data. That way, even if you lose it to a cyber attack, you can recover quickly and return to business after improving your security.
Having backups can enhance your security drastically. You should have essential data backed up in at least three different places.
So, you don’t have to worry even if you lose one of your backups. Not having backups can be disastrous to any company, so create them immediately. Then, you’ll need to ensure they’re always kept up-to-date.
6. Don’t Forget About Physical Security
Cyber attacks are a massive threat to firms today. However, you shouldn’t forget about your company’s physical security. There are several ways that you can improve it.
Here’s what you should do:
- Limit access to rooms with sensitive information and expensive equipment
- Have an updated list of all devices
- Have visitor procedures in place
- Have an updated list of what doors are locked and when, plus who unlocked them
- Know who works when, as well as what security access they should have
Data theft can happen in person, too, so your firm must be physically secure.
Constantly Improve Your Firm’s Security
You should always be working on improving your firm’s security. Cyberhackers constantly experiment with new ways to leak data, so you must stay ahead of them. Using encrypted devices, teaching your team about phishing, and having vital information blacked up are all great ways to protect yourself.