ExecutiveChronicles.com | 8 Ways to Improve Your Company’s IT Security | Now that most business transactions are carried out through the Internet due to the restrictive conditions that the world is dealing with, it has become critical for companies to ensure the security of their online network.
With the increasing reliance of people on online services, security threats are on the rise. Big communications companies are even warning people about fake ads posted on social media and providing confidential information to unverified email accounts.
Likewise, business organizations constantly remind their clients to make sure their login details are unpredictable to ward off phishers. Suffice it to say, if you are now running your business online and your clients share confidential information with you, it is crucial to step up your IT security and keep your defenses tight. This is one of the key moves you can make to protect not just your transactions but your brand, as well.
So, how should you go about this? Here are eight ways to do so.
1. Opt for a business email hosting service.
If you have set up an account with just any email service provider, you probably won’t be getting a high level of protection against all email threats.
Make sure you invest in a business email hosting service that regularly monitors email account activities and makes sure that everything is always running smoothly for your business.
An email hosting service offers multiple layers of security and protection, so you don’t have to worry about malicious threats to your email correspondence with partners and customers.
Additionally, a business email hosting service has support specialists ready to take care of issues and concerns should you experience problems. They will restore your system into proper working order and limit any derailment and risks to your operations.
2. Stay updated about various online risks.
Online risks are discussed on the Internet like social trends. So, make sure that you are always in the know about online MOs and scams. Follow this up by turning to IT security pros that can set up new layers of protective programs for your IT network. These could be new endpoint anti-virus systems or verification methods.
All of these are worth investing in to protect not just the online activities of your company, but also the proper functioning of the different Internet-connecting devices your business uses for daily operations.
3. Make use of access controls.
IT security threats are not just the worms moving around the digital realm. The wrong people can also spread them by using your company’s own devices. Therefore, it would certainly help to use access controls.
An IT solutions company can set this up for your business organization’s IT network. They’ll set up a program where identification must be established before any online activities can be performed on the company’s IT devices. This is a great first line of defense against malicious activities within your network.
4. Implement context-aware network controls.
Context-aware network access control or CANAC is a lot similar to regular access control, but it’s more of a thicker layer of defense because it limits access to various network resources according to contextual-based security policies.
The CANAC requires security information from the endpoint device, and it determines if it’s safe for a connection to be established. Say, the endpoint device location is a suspicious one (such as the country your passport cannot be used for), access will not be granted immediately due to CANAC. Apart from location, other contexts are the device type, identity and operating system, and applications running on the device.
5. Always create a back-up of your files.
You can always trust active cybersecurity programs to work against everything from trojans, ransomware, malware, and phishers. However, if you want complete peace of mind when it comes to your business IT network, it should be a habit for everyone in your company to create a back-up of all files.
Send everything to a safe account in the cloud. This way, should any of your established defenses crumble a bit, you won’t have to worry about valuable data getting corrupted and needing to be recovered. You can get a copy from the cloud and replace them back into your IT system.
6. Implement safe browsing and Internet usage habits.
Get everybody involved in safe practices for the protection of your company’s IT network. One of the ways that business organizations do this is by discouraging certain activities such as watching media files on streaming sites. This doesn’t just affect employees’ productivity, but it can also increase the risk of contracting viruses.
Another is by being wary of particular sites such as those that do not come with a safety lock icon. These mindful Internet habits will undoubtedly fortify the security of your company’s IT network.
7. Establish a segregated network.
If your operations require a more “liberated” use of the Internet, which may include venturing into suspicious sites, it’s best to consider a segregated network.
With a segregated network, the members of your organization can carry out more Internet activities. They can do so without having to worry about compromising the system where all your more valuable business transactions are coursed through.
Another advantage of having a segregated network is, should one network experience problems, online operations don’t need to come to a full halt. Another network can serve as a quick back-up until the compromised one is fixed.
8. Schedule regular updates.
Keep the entire system as up-to-date as possible, so set up a schedule for this with an IT solutions company. This will make it tougher for various malicious activities to be carried out against your IT network.
Likewise, with regular updates, IT service professionals can evaluate the weak points of your system and address them accurately.
These are eight ways by which you can improve your company’s IT system. Indeed, this is more important than ever with operations becoming more online-based.
Security is critical to successful online transactions, which is why paying more attention to it is an absolute must to ensure both the competitiveness and industry longevity of your company.
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Author Bio
Sharon Mallorca is the Sales Manager at Create IT in Dubai. Established by innovative digital agency Create Media Group, Create IT has rapidly become the Middle East’s leading IT Support and IT Solutions company, providing the highest quality IT support and services to a growing portfolio of global brands.
