Cybersecurity for business

The simplest explanation for the importance of cybersecurity can be summed up as follows: information drives business and businesses rely on technology. Cyber threats attack both. Cybersecurity practices aim to protect them.

The benefits, however, go much further. A good cybersecurity posture protects:

• Financials: Downtime impacts revenue activity, reputation damage discourages new customers, fines for non-compliance can be costly, to name a few.

• Reputation: Data breaches and downtime look bad and bad press negatively impacts customer perceptions.

• Customers: Loss of customer data can have far-reaching effects on the lives and businesses of those you do business with.

• Employees: A breach can result in employee data falling into the hands of cybercriminals.

• Compliance: Businesses have a responsibility to protect customer, patient, client personal and business data, depending on their industry and regulatory compliance requirements.

Every organization must implement cybersecurity practices to meet its unique needs. Some basic ways to protect against cybersecurity threats include:

• Employee education: Train employees to recognize possible risks.

• Role-based access: Employees can only access information related to their job.

• Deploy security protocols: Use security applications and protocols on all connected devices.

Strong cybersecurity postures typically include the following best practices.

• Define a cybersecurity strategy: Strategy brings together technology, employee training, compliance requirements, and policy definitions.

• Multi-factor authentication: Requiring users to verify their login in different ways reduces the chances of a bot breaking through. 

• Standardize password protocols: Users need complex passwords and passwords should be updated every 90 days.

• Apply multi-layered security measures: Use anti-virus (AV), firewall, network security tools, monitoring and more – the more you have, the more secured you are.

• Use VPN: Secured VPNs add a layer of security for employees accessing the company network.

• Implement redundant backup and disaster recovery: In the case of attack, data backups and an ability to restore is essential.

• Evolve and adapt: Add new technologies as they become available and adapt strategies as the cyber landscape changes.