Recently a study was conducted by the National Cyber Security Programme and the findings stated that virtually all businesses in the UK are at risk of exposure to security breaches resulting from cybercrime. This study further highlighted that due to the exponential increase in cybercrimes, a substantial amount of businesses have now prioritised data security above all other IT concerns. These findings illustrate the fact that cybercrime has become a core issue for businesses all around the world – and that every business has to take precautionary steps to safeguard their customer’s data.
Since cybercrime is increasing at an alarming rate, many businesses have implemented a diverse range of different security measures to improve the integrity of their network. Most businesses have segregated wireless networks and have rules of encryption around sensitive information. Furthermore, a substantial number of businesses have introduced a formal policy that covers cyber security risks.
But even so, there are still many businesses that harbour the illusion that a few basic security measures are enough to keep hackers at bay. To help you prioritise your response to the risk of cybercrime, this article presents a list of security measures that every business should consider:
1. Implement Data Security Practices As A Part Of Your Business Culture
What every business has to realise is that they cannot effectively safeguard their businesses from cybercrime unless their whole team is on board. This means that the management should clearly define the security parameters that they expect from their employees. This can be done through training and regular review meetings. When every employee understands the threat, they will be more likely to make data handling decisions with a higher degree of care. Most employees do not know just how detrimental cybercrime can actually be, so each business should enlighten their employees about this prevailing issue and how it particularly applies to their industry. Every business should develop a bespoke security policy and ingrain it within their businesses culture.
2. Establish An IT Department Or Seek Outside Assistance
Although most businesses have dedicated departments that oversee data protection and IT security, many start-ups and small businesses consider this to be an unnecessary use of recourses. For businesses that are large enough and can afford to, setting up a dedicated IT department is the most effective way to improve the integrity of their security. This department will not only improve the security measures but will also be able to identify a breach and take the appropriate actions. This department can develop an incident response plan which will ensure that the business is prepared for any given situation. However, for smaller businesses for whom this is not an option, serious consideration should be given to contracting a managed IT services provider – who can manage a businesses’ firewall, antivirus software and updates. Even larger businesses frequently benefit from the additional manpower and expertise that comes from an IT services partnership.
3. Understand The Risks
Another step that will help every business improve their security network is being aware pf the real risk of cybercrime. How prevalent is cybercrime in the industry you work in, and what sort of threats are most common, e.g. phishing emails, ransomware, direct hack etc. The type of risk and threat level will vary from sector to sector. The management should understand how cyber criminals operate and how exactly hackers manage to crack a system. This will help the businesses identify vulnerabilities that need to be reinforced and will also help them initiate other security protocols to make life more difficult for hackers.
Secure Data Cleansing From Absolute IT
These steps mentioned above are just a glimpse into the measures a business can take in order to improve the integrity of their IT security. One of the commonest weak spots for British businesses is the way many companies dispose of redundant IT assets. Data bearing assets are often recycled, reused or sold on without much thought given to the data held there. This is especially the case for smartphones and tablets, which regularly change hands within a business as staff leave and new starters join.
At Absolute It we specialise in premium data cleansing services, completely removing data from old devices so there is zero risk of valuable data falling into the wrong hands. To find out more, please use our online contact form to get in touch with our data security team.
