In a constantly changing technological environment, protecting a company’s digital assets can be quite challenging. As businesses grow more reliant on technology, their role as potential targets for cyber threats increases dramatically, along with the potential to lose revenue as a result of these threats. In 2022 alone, companies affected by cyber crimes reported a staggering 10.3 billion loss.
What is Cyber Security?
Cyber security can be generally defined as a company’s ability to protect their digital assets, which can include data, network information, and sensitive login credentials. The main goal of enhancing a company's security is to create a secure environment where confidentiality, integrity, and availability is constantly maintained to keep data and systems secure. While many companies think that outside threats are the only source of worry when it comes to cyber attacks, insider threats present a similar danger. Internal threats most often result from careless mistakes made by employees – from opening phishing emails to logging in to their business accounts on public, unsecure networks. While this might seem like a daunting discussion, taking proactive steps to improve digital defenses can help protect critical corporate data and secure a company’s digital footprint.
Some of the most effective methods can be surprisingly quick to implement:
Promote Cybersecurity Training and Education - When it comes to preventing internal data leaks, training employees in the importance of security and protecting their data is the quickest way to ensure security and strengthen accessibility protocols. Some common threats that directly target employees include phishing schemes, social engineering through fake emails, and malware. Taking a security-centric approach to educating employees can help create a “culture” of security within the company, as most cybersecurity issues stem from negligence, rather than hacking. Giving employees a specific training or routine educational program about keeping internal assets safe can help reduce this internal negligence and mitigate potential data leaks.
Implementing Robust Parameter Control - A critical role of external defense comes from parameter control, as it makes sure no one can connect to the domain from outside of the company. Some of the most popular ways to point out weaknesses within a parameter is to run regular penetration testing to assess security, along with hiring trusted cyber security partners to assess and eliminate potential vulnerabilities within the systems. Implementing more fortified encryption software while transferring or processing data can also help keep unwanted parties from accessing sensitive data.
Prioritize Password and User Protection - While a simple username and password duo might seem like enough to protect assets, adding another layer of security can help ensure the safety of the company as a whole. Implementing multi-factor authentication and complex passwords can help protect against potential hackers, while creating password-protected documents and sending methods can help make internal data protection more secure.
Strengthen Domain Security - A company’s domain is one of the important tools within a business and can be easily lost to a cyber attack. Ensuring the use of secure networks, firewalls, and a virtual private network (VPN), along with regular assessment of the protection status, can help mitigate data loss and leaks. A secure network ensures that sensitive information is in a protected location, while also defending against unsanctioned access. Firewalls monitor data and traffic coming in and out of the domain and can flag down actions that go against the pre-set security actions. A VPN also helps establish a secure connection when using a public network, and keeps the working identity private.
Deciding Which Cyber Security Method is Best for You
The first step when deciding how to improve cyber security is to assess the company’s unique security needs. Cyber security is not “one size fits all”, but rather a collection of different methods that can help protect assets in a way that is important to each company uniquely. Conducting a risk-to-impact analysis can help understand how much your data “costs” and what needs to be protected first, along with seeing a cost-benefit ratio of what would happen if data protection methods were not taken into account.
It is important to take a tailored approach to cyber security, instead of simply implementing the newest antivirus or malware software. Creating an ongoing effort to protect the company, along with understanding risk severity, can help narrow down the options available. Having an in-house specialist in cyber security can also help improve the company, as it is suggested to regularly review and adapt new measures of protection for assets.
Resolvit Protects the World’s Largest Companies from Cyber Threats
Without the right security measures in place, critical data and systems can become compromised very quickly. With the threat of cyber attacks increasing, companies need reassurance that their applications and assets are being supported.
At Resolvit, we offer a proactive methodology to creating secure development of applications, along with offering personalized solutions to meet unique needs. We provide security assessments in the form of system audits to identify vulnerabilities within a company, as well as developing and implementing comprehensive cybersecurity strategies and plans. This gradual process keeps companies safe and mitigates cyber threats, all while providing a dedicated team of professionals to continually fortify company security protocols.
Looking to improve your company’s defense against cyber attacks? Contact Resolvit to better protect your company today.