Companies store sensitive information digitally almost every day. But unfortunately, it also increases the risk of exposing all your sensitive information to hackers. A skilled hacker can break any online security system and steal important data to use them for blackmail or ruin your company. If you look back, it has happened to many tech giants and will happen in the future, you can be next. So, it’s time to be careful to keep your critical online data safe from hackers.
It’s true, you can’t stop hackers from attacking your online database to steal information, but you can make it harder for them with some preventative measures. The idea is to make it so complicated that they don’t find it worth wasting their time on it. However, here are the top 10 best ways to protect your business from hackers and be safe while surfing online.
01. Communication Is The Key
Communicate with your team about threats like phishing attacks, which attempt to steal the money, identity, or personal information of your company. Preparing your team in advance for such attacks and their effect on the company will help them to act consciously.
Phishing sites use similar-looking domains and try to mimic the popular online sites on which the company might be active. You can explain to your team how to stay alert from these sites while surfing the internet. Stating examples of how hackers have destroyed the careers of hundreds of employees of other companies will make them extra aware.
02. Update Software
A easy method that many businesses ignore while running a big firm is updating their software. By simply updating to the latest software, you can ensure extra security for your company’s data. The updates can be from your content management platforms, cloud-based tools, Windows, or any other software that you use regularly.
The updates add extra security protocols to the programs. You can keep this software on automatic update or just do it manually. Also, make sure that your entire company runs on the same updated software.
03. Change Passwords Frequently
We know it can be difficult to change your passwords regularly while running a big firm. But this old-school method is one of the best ways of protecting your business from hackers. You can switch your passwords every three or four months. This ensures that the hackers have no way of stealing your company’s information.
04. Use Two Factor Authentication
Most online applications, such as Instagram, Gmail, or Twitter, now offer two-factor authentications to their users. It helps keep the company’s social and sensitive info safe from cyberattacks.
Two factor authentication requires phone, email, or code verification each time you sign in to your online applications. So, if any unauthorized person tries to sign in to your profile will notify you almost instantly and help you keep your data safe.
05. Limit Employee Access to Sensitive Information
Even if you blindly trust your employees, it’s advisable to limit access to sensitive information. It also helps reduce the risk of security breaches due to the slightest possibility of human error.
Make sure to which login credentials and sensitive data your employees have access. If necessary, use a password sharing application like LastPass to give your employees access that has the option to hide passwords but will give them effortless access to your data. It’s also strongly recommended to change your password and location of sensitive data when any of these employees leave the company and remove them from your sharing list if you use password sharing apps. Doing all this will ensure that your company’s security is not jeopardized.
06. Install Software You Trust
A lot of software may seem credible, but in reality, most of them are traps set by hackers. Installing this type of software can eventually lead to malware that can ruin your entire data.
If you don’t want to be trapped, one way to ensure the software’s reliability is to read its reviews. Also, look at the active installations before downloading. Once you’re confirmed that the software is safe, you’re good to go, download and install.
07. Use Password Management Tool
You can use a password management tool that will help you increase the security of websites and apps you use regularly. This makes it easy to share passwords with the whole team without revealing what they really are. It also gives you the ability to control who has access to passwords or who doesn’t.
These tools can also generate auto-generated complex passwords, which will be extremely difficult to hack. it encrypts your usernames, passwords, and mails so that they are inaccessible by third parties.
08. Use VPN
A virtual private network (VPN) is a great tool that helps you stay private and ensure secure network access from any remote location. It masks public network IPs and provides a secure tunnel for accessing and communicating your data. It keeps your company’s sensitive data safe and secure on any other network. Also, if you’re thinking of giving remote access to your employees, it’s advisable to do so using a VPN. However, you always have the option not to provide remote access if your VPN access isn’t ready.
09. Take Backup Regularly
It’s good to keep regular backups of your sensitive data, either periodically or daily. You can even set up an automated backup if your system allows it, and it’s also recommended to save your backups offsite. So, it will ensure that all of your data is always in your hand, and you can recover the data quickly if you get hacked.
10. Use Firewall
A firewall is a must have feature that should have every business network. Enabling the firewall will monitor and filter all the incoming and outgoing traffic based on your company’s previously established security policies and protect your data from unwanted attacks. However, a firewall can’t stop hacking attacks but can reduce the chances significantly.
Finally, we hope that following these steps will help you plan to protect your business from hackers. Who knows, hackers might be just a few minutes away from ruining your lifetime hard work. So don’t be late; ensure the cyber security of your business now!
Author Bio:
Charlotte Lin is a content creator at escaperoom.com. She’s a passionate young woman, mother to an amazing nine-year-old, and an avid reader. Over the years, writing has helped her explore and understand the world as well as her own self. She loves to travel, meet new people, and spend quality time with her daughter. You can find her on LinkedIn.
