The internet has become an integral part of our lives, whether we’re using it for personal reasons or conducting business online. But while the convenience of the web makes it easier to run an online business, it also opens us up to potential threats. This is why Cyber Essentials and Cyber Security is more important than ever.
Update Software Regularly
It’s not enough just to update software when there’s a new version available.
To protect yourself from hackers, viruses, and other malicious software, it’s important to keep your computer updated regularly. That means checking for updates to your operating system (OS) and security programs, such as anti-virus software. You should also be sure to update your browser frequently. This is because since websites use outdated versions of code that could leave you vulnerable to attacks.
If you use Windows 10, Microsoft recommends updating at least once every 90 days. You should also update your operating system if you’ve recently installed new hardware, such as a printer or scanner. And if you haven’t used your computer in a while, you might want to consider updating it now.
I can say for certain that at Solutions4IT, we can ensure all of your business devices are regularly updated and monitored, as we know this can be a time consuming yet important responsibility. Visit our IT Support and Professional IT Consultancy page to learn more.
Have an understanding of Cyber Essentials
Cyber Essentials is an effective, Government backed scheme that will help you to protect your organisation, whatever its size, against a whole range of the most common cyber-attacks.
Cyber-attacks come in many shapes and sizes, but the vast majority are very basic in nature. They’re the digital equivalent of a thief trying your front door to see if it’s unlocked. I would advise Cyber Essentials ,therefore, as is designed to prevent these attacks.
There are two levels of certification:
Cyber Essentials
Certification gives you peace of mind that your defences will protect against the vast majority of common cyber-attacks simply because these attacks are looking for targets which do not have the Cyber Essentials technical controls in place. Cyber Essentials shows you how to address those basics and prevent the most common attacks.
Cyber Essentials Plus
At Solutions 4 IT, we offer packages to guide your business in gaining Cyber Essentials or Cyber Essentials Plus certifications with flexible guidance and assessments to ensure everything runs smoothly. Visit Cyber Essentials Certification page to learn more.
Training staff on cyber-security
While anti-virus software, firewalls and VPN’s can significantly benefit a business’ cyber-security, more than 90% of cyberattacks are made possible, to a greater or lesser extent, by human error, according to IBM data in 2022. We mainly feel like this is due to a lack of awareness of how employees should act online.
Employees should be trained on basic computer skills such as:
Password management
In addition, companies should train employees on how to recognize phishing emails, which are often used to steal sensitive information from unsuspecting users.
Employee training on cyber security is the most efficient method. This is because it mitigates the risk of human error impacting your business through data breaches/leaks. This is effective because it offers structured training. This’ll allow all employees to consistently act in safe conduct online. I also would like to add that Solutions 4 IT additionally provides employee training on cyber security that can be accessed here.
Put into place security measures to enhance your network’s security
Network security refers to the measures a business takes to ensure they are protected from threats like cyber-attacks. These measures can be policies for employees to have a strong password for example, but they can also involve the company’s physical network security such as firewalls, anti-virus software and access/authentication checks like 2FA.
It’s recommended every business has at least some security measures for their network as anyone can be a target of cyber-attacks online. However, many smaller businesses aren’t experienced in managing network security, therefore, there’s a lack in policy and/or physical security.
Solutions 4 IT offers network security solutions, that go above and beyond traditional antivirus software. We use Next Gen Endpoint Protection to do this efficiently, which is a Machine learning process.
This means that the security services that we can provide are working in the background 24 hours a day every day. If a threat is detected it will automatically be quarantined. In addition, the incident is reviewed by a team of security analysts to verify and report. We have full visibility of each incident and manage the process seamlessly for you.
Visit our network security page to see how we can help your network security.
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