In the past few days the Minister for the Digital Economy, Ed Vaizey, has been trying to raise awareness of Cyber Security for businesses.
In the past year, 74% of small businesses and 90% of major businesses had a cyber security breach.
It’s all well and good trying to scare people with alarming stats and figures, but what we really need to know is what precautions to take.
Here, Stream Networks detail a few simple steps that you’ll regret not taking in the case of a cyber security breach.
Passwords
It’s so simple to think up a secure password, yet so many don’t seem to do so. The most popular password for the year 2014 was ‘123456’. I’m sorry but if that’s your password, not only are you asking to be hacked, you most probably deserve it.
A good password will be made up 8 or more characters, incorporate both upper and lower case letters, numbers and symbols.
Also, ensure that you do not use the same password for everything, it’s bad enough somebody getting access to one of your systems, let alone all of them.
Install reputable security software
If you are going to the trouble of installing software security, ensure you are using a reputable brand who won’t install anything that you haven’t asked for. I understand not everyone has a big budget for a luxurious software suite, but there is some extremely good software that can be downloaded free of charge.
Once you have the suite installed, make sure you use it. Whilst a full virus scan may slow down your systems for a period of time, it will certainly be worth it compared to a potential system breakdown. You should undertake a scan at least once a week.
Physical security of your data
Whether you’re hosting your own server or using a data centre, you have to make sure that you know where your data is, how it is stored and who by. It’s all well and good saying “it’s in a data centre” but where exactly Is that data centre? Is it in a highly secure facility that has 24/7 security, or an abandoned warehouse next to the M1? Obviously the more secure the facility, the less likely your data is to be compromised.
If you’re hosting your own server, how good is your security system? Is it kept under simple lock and key, or do you have a fool-proof alarm system with retina recognition?
Virtual Private Networks (VPN)
Now a VPN won’t be for everyone, however for those who send a large amount of files between locations, they can be invaluable. Imagine a VPN to be your very own stretch of road, nobody else can see and nobody else can use it. It’s reserved solely for you.
Before I go off on a tangent of how amazing having your own road would be, I’ll bring this back to a data transfer. With a VPN, the connection that you are transferring will be solely yours, meaning that nobody else can see it is happening.
The above are just a fraction of precautions to be taken. If you would like to know how you can improve your cyber security, please free to contact us . Remember, there is no such thing as being too secure.