5 Easy Steps to Protect Your Business Against Cyber Threats


Data breaches are becoming increasingly common and there are plenty of examples in the news of businesses being infiltrated by cyber criminals.

Aside from the reputational damage that comes with being vulnerable to cyber-attacks, there are also strict regulations in place to penalise businesses that don’t protect themselves against data breaches. The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) comes into force later this month and is designed to improve how businesses collect, store and use personal data. The GDPR will mean businesses can be fined up to 4% of their annual global turnover if they are found to be in breach of the regulations.

 
 

There are lots of steps businesses can take to protect themselves against the threat of cyber-attacks and here are five of the most important.

1. Install Security Software

One of the most important things to do to protect your business against a data breach is to install security software on all devices that are used for business purposes. This includes all laptops, computers, tablets and smartphones.

If you have an on-premises server then make sure that the software on this is up to date and that you have a firewall and intrusion detection system in place.

2. Train Your Employees in Cyber-Security

Training your employees in good cyber-security practice is an important way to protect your business against data breaches. Ensure that they know how to use the security software on your devices and make sure they know the importance of creating strong passwords.

They also need to know what to do if they think they have been a victim of a cyber-attack and how to spot the signs of a phishing attack. If you have a remote workforce make sure that they know how to connect to your network securely.

3. Use a VPN

If you or your employees do any work on public or unsecured networks then a Virtual Private Network (VPN) can be a useful way to protect your business against data breaches.

A VPN provides a secure connection between a device and the internet and will encrypt any data that is being sent or received. This means that if your device is lost or stolen then the data that it contains will be protected.

4. Back Up Your Data

If your business is hit by a ransomware attack then you will be at risk of losing your data. This is why it is important to back up your data regularly and to ensure that your backups are stored securely.

There are a number of cloud-based backup services that you can use and it is important to make sure that you test your backups regularly to ensure that they are working correctly.

5. Use Two-Factor Authentication

Two-factor authentication (2FA) is a useful way to protect your business against data breaches. 2FA uses a combination of something that the user knows (such as a password) and something that the user has (such as a code that is sent to their smartphone).

This means that even if a cyber-criminal manages to steal a user’s password they will not be able to access their account unless they also have the code that is sent to the user’s smartphone.

If you are looking for more information on how to protect your business against data breaches then our GDPR and Cyber Security Workshop could be of interest. This workshop is being held in London on May 15th

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