As a business owner, there are many different challenges you face on a daily basis. However, there is little denying that one of the biggest challenges in the modern day is cyber security. It seems that a day does not go by without news of a data breach – and these are just the high profile cases. An online attack could spell disaster for your business, resulting in huge sums of money lost and a reputation in tatters. This is the last thing anyone wants. However, if you are making the following online security mistakes, you could be leaving yourself wide open to an attack:
You Don’t Segregate Your Network
Network segmentation is a must for any business. At the moment, it is likely that everything from your social media accounts, to your POS systems, to your back office, is on the one network. This means that if a hacker finds a way in, they have access to everything. Network segregation is imperative, as it means you can enhance security by restricting access to certain parts of your business.
You Don’t Seek Professional Assistance
If you don’t have any experience in cyber security, you need to seek outside assistance in the form of professional IT support. How can you be sure that you are protecting your business if you don’t have any training in online security? This is a field that is a lot more complex than you may imagine, and cyber criminals are getting more and more sophisticated every day. Plus, it is not only external threats that you need to worry about, but it is internal threats too. Have complete peace of mind by leaving this in the hands of the experts.
You Don’t Update Your Software
Having anti-virus software installed is not enough when protecting your virtual world; you need to update it regularly. In fact, this goes for any type of software that your business is using. With every new update that is released, new security measures are provided, and any vulnerabilities have been dealt with. If you don’t update your software, you are leaving the door wide open for hackers.
You Don’t Encrypt All Data
Encryption is a necessity for all of your important data. Encryption will turn your documents into a code that is completely unreadable. So, if a cyber criminal does find a way into your systems, they won’t be able to use any of your files or documents, meaning they won’t be able to steal any private information on you or your customers.
You Don’t Train Your Employees
You would be surprised by how many online security breaches stem internally. While this can sometimes be a case of a malicious employee, more often than not it arises because workers have not had the necessary training in cyber security. They do not know how to handle different types of data. They aren’t aware of how to create a good password or how they should manage their accounts. You need to get all of your employees on board with cyber security, and you need to make sure they care about it. Stress how important it is to the future of your business.
I hope you enjoyed this article about online security mistakes that can be a major liability for your company.
Interested in more articles about cyber security and IT?
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