Over recent years, two huge changes have taken place in terms of the way businesses operate: 94% of companies now use cloud services; and 12.7% of full-time employees have started permanently working from home.
All of this is very exciting. After all, cloud technology is great for companies and many remote employees are happier working from home. However, there’s also a slight downside: increased cybersecurity risks.
Naturally, when a company is using cloud software and its employees are working from home using personal devices, it means that the company is more exposed to potential cyberattacks and criminal behavior.
Like most business owners, the thought of a cyberattack probably keeps you awake at night. Don’t worry about it, though, because cybersecurity is getting stronger each year. The result? Cybercriminals are finding it much harder to hack company servers and steal valuable data.
So, if you want to learn about the latest cybersecurity trends, here are Five low-cost and effective ways to improve your company’s cybersecurity moving forward. By following these methods, you can better protect your employees, your customers, and your overall company infrastructure.
1. Use an IT Security Consultant
In response to rising cybercrime, IT security consultants have become popular with companies. Their job is to consult with you about all things related to cybersecurity. Through a consultation, you can then be provided with excellent cybersecurity support, from antivirus to email protection. And if your company ever does fall victim to a cyberattack, the IT security consultant can help to contain the attack and implement a solution as quickly as possible, which will help to ensure that any potential damage is kept limited.
2. Train Your Employees to Spot Red Flags
When it comes to potential cyberattacks, most of them are easy to spot ahead of time—but you can only spot them if you know the red flags to look out for. Here are some common red flags:
- Suspicious emails that ask you to click on a link (these are known as phishing emails)
- Computers running slowly
- Website traffic overload
- Messages demanding a ransom
- Employees being locked out of accounts or having their passwords changed
If you or an employee happen to spot any of the above-mentioned red flags, make sure to report it immediately. You can then contact your IT security consultant so that the issue can be looked at more closely.
3. Use Two-Factor Authentication
Your employees likely have accounts across a variety of applications, from Salesforce to OneDrive. Make sure that you instruct all of them to turn on two-factor authentication so that each company account they have is ultra-secure. Remember, they can use their company email or company phone number as the authenticator.
4. Improve Password Strength
Many employees make the fatal mistake of choosing weak passwords. As a result, these passwords are easy for cybercriminals to hack. Therefore, you should make it an organizational policy that employees must use strong passwords with a combination of letters, special symbols, and upper and lower-case letters.
5. Conduct Regular Cybersecurity Risk Assessments
Lastly, be sure to conduct regular cybersecurity risk assessments. Generally, it’s a good idea to do a thorough risk assessment every three months, although you can do it even more frequently if you want to. This way, any underlying weaknesses in your existing system can be uncovered and quickly addressed.
