Dealing With Rising Cyber Security Threats: What Companies Can Do To Improve Digital Safety

Cyber security threats are ever-present for businesses in all niches and markets, particularly as the world becomes increasingly reliant on the internet for storing and sharing personal data.

This year, in particular, we’re seeing a swift rise in particularly sophisticated cyber security attacks, meaning that the threat is perhaps more present than before.

While it’s possible for anyone to be the victim of a cyber crime, companies are particularly vulnerable because your organisation will have a lot of high-value sensitive information within its systems. So, while vigilance is crucial, it’s especially important for companies.

Everyone knows the basics of cyber security, like having anti-virus software and avoiding scammy-looking email attachments, but there’s a lot more that goes into cyber security. If you’re managing a growing company and are unsure about the steps you can take to protect your IT systems, keep reading for some practical tips.

Conduct Regular Cyber Security System Reviews

Just because your business has a cyber security infrastructure and policy, that doesn’t mean that it’s effective. Cyber security evolves regularly, and criminals are always exploring new ways to scam businesses and penetrate their security nets, so you need to make sure you adapt your system too.

Every business should conduct at least 2 cyber security risk assessments per year, depending on your system and the changes in the tech landscape. When you’re reviewing your systems, you should check for any vulnerabilities and see if there are ways to upgrade your cyber security tools to ensure your IT infrastructure’s ongoing security. If there’s a specific threat that could damage your business, you need to consider running a risk assessment on this issue to make sure that you understand the new problem and what you can do to overcome it.

Encrypt Valuable Data

For very important data, such as financial details and medical notes, you might want to consider using encryption. By using a cypher, which can only be decoded by someone within your organisation, you can reduce your chances of being hacked and add an additional layer of protection for your particularly valuable information.

Users can only access the data and understand it if they have the cypher key, which you can keep safe and provide only to those staff who need it. Encrypting your data is a useful approach for companies that have exceptionally sensitive data, and it’s simple and easy to do with online encryption tools or by working with cyber security experts.

Implement A Security Operations Centre

One of the biggest benefits and cyber security threats the internet has introduced is the rise of globalisation. It’s now easier than ever before for individuals from around the world to interact with, or potentially attack, any website or database. As such, if you run a large international company, you might want to consider using a Security Operations Centre (SOC). These centres are run by cyber security experts and run 24/7 to monitor and manage the company’s IT infrastructure.

Running a SOC in-house can be expensive, so it might be worth exploring a provider of SOC as a service, like ROCK, to defend your business against cyber attacks. Their services can ensure that your IT infrastructure is safe at all times and that you get the best possible support if someone does try to attack your company’s data.

Provide Regular Staff Training

Your employees are a vital asset in your company’s fight against hackers and criminals looking to steal your data. They can be the first line of defence and notice anything suspicious, so it’s worth investing in providing training for them and giving them access to resources to help them be more vigilant.

As cyber security threats continue to evolve and change, so too does the knowledge that your staff have, so you need to make sure that they get training at least twice a year, if not more regularly. Consider offering small catch-ups with some internal team members, then also getting professional IT experts to help guide your staff at least once per year. By having regular refresher training for your team, you can ensure that they see how important cyber security is to your organisation.

A Quick Summary

Cyber security has always been a key focus for most businesses since the rise of the internet, but it’s become particularly important today thanks to new data protection legislation and an increased focus on digital safety among consumers.

So, using a simple anti-virus product is no longer enough for any business. If you want to keep your digital assets safe, you need to take serious precautions and keep adapting to ensure that your business is always protected. You’ll then be able to ensure the trust of your customers and service users, as well as reduce your chances of an expensive fine for non-compliance with relevant laws. It’s a lot of effort, but it is worth it to keep criminals away from your valuable IT infrastructure.