In recent years, cybersecurity has become a real problem for almost all individuals and businesses. These days, cases of hackers stealing information from unsuspecting people and organizations are on the rise. As the rate of data breaches and cyber attacks continues to grow, businesses should have a counterattack plan to help keep their information safe from hackers. When you consider the kind of information which is stored by businesses such as customers’ private information and financial records, it is not difficult to see how a single data breach can jeopardize your whole organization. (Images Credit: Pixabay)
In just 2015, the number of data breaches in the United States rose to around 781. This was approximately 500 percent more than the figure recorded a decade ago. From 2005 to 2015, the number of compromised records rose more than 250 percent to around 169 million. If you want to protect your organization against data breaches having a business continuity plan is critical.
Here are a few cybersecurity measures you can take to improve the security of your business’ information.
Use strong passwords
The first way you can strengthen your data security is by establishing strong passwords. Data security experts recommend that you use a combination of numbers, lower case letters, capital, and symbols. Furthermore, it should be 8 to 12 characters long. Avoid using personal data like, your birth date or common words which are spelled backward. This ensures your passwords are hard to guess. In addition, don’t use numbers or characters, which are in sequence on the keyboard. Don’t forget to change your password every three months.
Implement disaster recovery
Having a disaster recovery service in place is important. After all, you never know when your business’ database will be hacked leading to a total enterprise shut down. This can cause your business a lot of money. Disaster recovery services enable you to access your data at all times, especially during a cyber attack. The good thing about this service is that it helps you restore and protect data, servers and the whole data center.
Install antivirus and firewalls
With the advent of new technology, hackers are getting more tech-savvy. This means they are devising new ways of stealing your crucial data. A simple malware or spyware could be a gateway for hackers to steal your data, costing you millions in the process. However, when you install antivirus or anti-malware software, it can go a long way in improving your online security. In case your database is accessed by hackers, an antivirus can go a long way in acting as the last line of defense. In addition to antivirus, you can use firewalls to protect your network. A firewall controls the internet traffic that flows in and out of the business. Check centreforsecurity.com if you want to hire a personal investigator if ever your business gets hacked.
Backup regularly
If you have a business, it is likely that you are holding sensitive data ranging from financial to customer data. To avoid the case of data loss, it is best that you backup your data regularly. You can backup your data to a cloud service or an external hard drive to ensure your data is stored securely.
As a business owner, you should never assume that your company is safe from malware, data breaches or other security issues. Following the above security measures can help safeguard your business’ privacy thus saving you money years down the line. In addition to the above security measures, make sure you use a VPN to protect your business against connections which are not secure.