Disaster Preparedness Plan: 6 Steps to Securing Your Business Against Hackers
Many businesses have an ‘it won’t happen to me’ mindset regarding cyberattacks. They might think that no hackers would be interested in their data or that they aren’t going to be targeted because they have reasonably good anti-virus software.
The reality is that no business is 100% safe from hackers. Thankfully, you’ll stand a better chance of coming out on top against them by taking some of the following steps.
Step 1: Backup Your Data
Many hackers believe they can hold businesses to ransom by taking over their precious data and threatening to erase or otherwise exploit it. That data might be crucial to your daily operations, so you might believe you have no other choice but to pay a ransom to get it back. However, you hold all the cards if you invest in disaster recovery solutions and back up your data.
If you rely on leading providers of backup and disaster recovery services, you’re in a strong position. You can protect, recover, and secure all critical business data and even potentially make yourself less vulnerable to attacks in the first place.
Step 2: Update Your Software
When you’re feeling overworked in your job, menial tasks like updating software can fall by the wayside. You might be more likely to minimize those pesky reminder notifications than carry out the update.
However, it’s worth your while to proceed with those updates sooner rather than later. Software updates often come with patches for potential weaknesses that might otherwise allow cybercriminals access to your systems.
Step 3: Install Multi-Factor Authentication
Hackers use a range of effective password-cracking techniques to access business networks. Even if you’ve followed all password recommendations – including numbers, letters, symbols, and a combination of uppercase and lowercase – you still can’t guarantee that a hacker won’t guess your password.
However, you might be able to protect your business against hackers by installing multi-factor authentication. When you log into your account, you must enter a code sent to your mobile device to gain access. Most hackers won’t have your secondary device, which means their efforts should be thwarted.
Step 4: Change Your Password Regularly
Many people have been using the same password across all their accounts for several years. This might make life much easier for you, but it’s also making it easier for hackers.
Make it standard practice for everyone to change their access passwords at least twice per year. This way, if passwords are compromised, they may not be valid when a hacker tries to use them.
Step 5: Limit Employee Access
Not all employees need access to all parts of your computer network. For example, your receptionists might not need to access your financial information, and your production team likely won’t need client files.
You can reduce the risk of system breaches due to human error by requiring login credentials to access various parts of your business network. The more barriers you put in place, the safer your network will be.
Step 6: Only Download Software You Trust
When you see software being recommended online to combat problems like productivity, you might not think twice about downloading them. However, not all software is safe or trustworthy. Before downloading any software onto your secure network, research its efficacy, security, and trustworthiness. If you’re unsure, contact a local IT support expert for advice.
Securing your business against hackers can seem like an impossible undertaking. However, the more measures you put in place, the more robust your business network will be.
