The basics of business IT security

Security is something that we talk a lot about today, especially in a business context. The range of threats that exists for businesses seems to increase on a daily basis and there are many different strategies and features to consider. Sometimes, the best place to start is with the basics. It’s important that your business has this foundation of security in place to ensure that it is protected and to provide a basis on which you can build in other bespoke security to suit your organisational needs.

Effective email security

Staff opening emails and clicking on links can be the fastest way for malware to get into your system. Email security systems can help to prevent this. At the very least your email security system should help to filter out unwanted content and SPAM, identify phishing emails and provide some degree of malware protection.

A robust password strategy

Passwords are essential for access and also provide a great opportunity for anyone looking to take advantage of a vulnerability within the business. If your staff don’t regularly update their passwords, are sharing them with others or have chosen a password that is easy to guess then they are that vulnerability. You can stop this from happening by introducing a robust password strategy that prevents sharing, requires 12+ characters or more, avoids all the most basic passwords (e.g. “password”) and ensures that employees understand the essentials of password management.

Use anti-virus cautiously

A strong anti-virus programme can provide a firm foundation for protecting your business IT and avoiding the kind of data breach that can result from a virus getting in. However, it’s not a solution that you should rely on in isolation as 98% of viruses change their form every time they install. Instead, pair high quality anti-virus protection with the other measures mentioned here to increase your security overall.

Install your updates

Out of date systems offer a clear opportunity for third parties who would like to break in via an easy security gap. If you’re regularly updating your software then you’re not going fall victim to a security breach that could have been easily prevented by downloading a patch. Every operating system requires this so it’s a key part of any security strategy.

Web security and training

Unprotected users opening up a single webpage riddled with malicious ransomware code is one of the most common reasons for a security breach today. It happens in a matter of seconds and can infect a whole network. There are web security products that you can implement to protect against this and training staff in what to look out for can also be incredibly useful.

In addition to these basic IT security measures it’s important to have effective backup in place – it’s this that will provide the means to get your business back on its feet and ensure business continuity under any circumstances.

These are the basics of business IT security, building a strong foundation for any organisation where essential protection is concerned. 

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