As the years go by, lots of businesses are beginning to switch to an online format, and many new startups understand the benefits of not renting an office space and keeping their team working remotely. While you can save some good money on startup costs and not pay the rent for a premium office, there are numerous downsides and increased risks to your business that you need to be aware of so that you can take steps to negate these problems.
Cyber security threats are one of the biggest risks to online businesses today. Finding ways in which you can counteract these threats and reduce your chances of being impacted by something malicious like this is imperative to your continued success. Here are some tips for you to do just that.
Backup Your Data Regularly
One of the first things you’ll need to think about when protecting your data from cyber threats is to run regular backups. Backing up your data will not only reduce the impact that data theft or a malicious attack on your network will have, but it will also help you in the event of your storage devices malfunctioning or data becoming corrupted.
Don’t forget that while it’s important to do this regularly, it is just as important to back up your data on multiple formats, keeping that data separate from other backups. If you were to store that data on the same cloud and that cloud storage experienced a critical error, corrupting all of the data, then having two backups on that same server is pointless.
Ensure Your Website Has Good Security
When it comes to online security, one of the more important steps is to ensure that your website itself is as secure as possible. To do this, most people will look into switching to the HTTPS security protocol. This essentially allows you as a website owner to keep the data that moves between the server and the browser safe, negating hacking attempts as there will ultimately be no openings for malicious individuals.
Of course, it’s important to never say never. While an HTTPS secured website is unlikely to be hacked, it may still be possible. Don’t forget that simply having an HTTPS doesn’t prevent vulnerabilities to your website in other areas. Continue to remain vigilant with other security methods and make sure you and your team don’t let your guard down.
Acquire Your ISO 27001 Certificate
We should probably preface this next section with a minor disclaimer before getting into what this really means. A certificate of any kind is not going to increase your cyber security. However, obtaining what is known as the ISO 27001 certificate will demonstrate that you and your business have followed the necessary steps to pass the very strict security audit that precedes it.
Unfortunately, this process can take a very long time and requires some serious focus to complete. Luckily you can actually find ISO 27001 templates to help you manage this process from experts like those at High Table. They offer a templates toolkit that will help keep you focused and help you understand exactly what steps you need to take to complete this process in-house without outsourcing the job to another business.Teach Your Team About Cyber Security
While there are a lot of methods that you can use to improve your company’s cyber security, one of the most important forms of security is to simply teach your employees to be conscious of cyber threats. Ultimately, it is people that can have the biggest impact on security risks, as many threats will aim to manipulate and trick the user into providing access to these malicious entities. A common example of this is when an employee receives an email that at first glance looks to be from a respected source. They then click through to a link or download an attachment, and then they’ve opened up their device and possibly your entire network to an attack.
It’s worth running cyber security training sessions for your team to ensure that everyone has the knowledge and initiative to identify and report these risks to your IT team. Bear in mind that an important part of ISO 27001 is to show that your team know how to protect your business’ data by using certain security procedures after noticing a cyber security threat.
Monitor Your Equipment And Network
As an online business, especially one with a significant number of employees, keeping tabs on your devices, equipment, and software can be complicated. Take note of who has which devices as well as who is accessing certain software and accounts at any one time so that you don’t end up with possible holes in your security all over the place.
In fact, it’s said that remote working has led to an increase in cybercrime over the past year, and so doing everything in your power to keep tabs on your employee’s devices is imperative for maintaining good cyber security practices. If possible, you could have your IT team run regular remote access sessions for laptops, in which they can check that their security systems are up to date.
Bio – An avid sports lover and creative writer, Jodie loves nothing more than sharing her insight into her favourite topics. As well as rugby and football, Jodie also enjoys writing about business and translating complicated corporate jargon into digestible and insightful content.
