7 cybersecurity measures that every business should adopt

Today, most businesses are operating in a complex IT environment, where they rely extensively on both cloud & on-premise solutions. Ensuring cybersecurity is not just about compliance – It has a lot to do with proactive measures. To handle and minimize security concerns, it is important to take the right steps with IT resources and assets. In this post, we are sharing cybersecurity measures that every business should adopt. Since cybersecurity is such an important factor in governance there are many different areas where  GRC and cybersecurity intersect.

1. Train your team. Cybersecurity training is absolutely important, no matter whether your organization has five people or a hundred employees. Ensure that employees know about common threats and concerns and how they can prevent such attacks. Making your employees aware of their rights, role, and responsibilities with regards to cybersecurity is critical for long-term business security.
2. Update your password policies. Passwords should be at least 12 characters long, with special characters and numbers. Also, encourage your employees to use unique passwords for every device and account, and passwords shouldn’t be repeated ever. Also, if your employees don’t know about using a password manager, recommend them a good one.
3. Use network segmentation. For the unversed, network segmentation is about dividing the network into subnetworks, so that compromise on one doesn’t impact others. Similarly, all networked devices, including IP cameras, must be placed behind firewalls.
4. Make the most of patches and updates. Ensure that all software, firmware, and other programs are updated to the latest version. This is important for two reasons – To prevent hackers from exploiting existing vulnerabilities, and also to secure data and IT resources.
5. Use multifactor authentication. Ensure that you use multifactor authentication at all times for sensitive devices and privilege users. This could refer to an additional question, a pin, or an OTP sent to the user’s mobile. The more layers of security you add, the better.
6. Install antivirus and antispyware software. There are different types of antivirus and antispyware software programs that can be considered for detecting malware attacks. Select a product that is meant for business use.
7. Schedule backups. You have to consider taking backups of data on a regular basis, and this can be scheduled easily. In case there is an unexpected attack on your business, you can restore everything easily.

Now that you know the basics, don’t shy away from checking how your competitors and other businesses are handling cybersecurity. With cybersecurity, you have to evolve with time, to address various concerns and risks.