Web-based businesses bring huge profits, that goes without saying. But online businesses also put a lot of responsibility on the owner regarding data protection and cybersecurity. Not having a proper cyber security structure can cost you profits andcustomers, or even cause legal issues.
Especially in the last two years with the pandemic, cyber attacks quadrupled according to Tonya Ugoretz of the FBI’s cyber division. Thus, business owners need to know about the best practices in 2022 to protect their companies from cyber threats. We’ve come up with some tips to help you out.
1-) Hire cybersecurity professionals
Most online businesses have their in-house IT departments and software developers. Since cybersecurity is somewhat related to the IT departments’ responsibilities, business owners don’t see the need for a separate security team.
Unfortunately, this is a common misconception. IT departments are responsible for building a proper IT infrastructure and overseeing their operations. They’re not cybersecurity specialists who can dig deep into vulnerabilities or potential cyber threats.
You need to have a dedicated cybersecurity team consisting of professionals who can conduct penetration tests and find security gaps. Combining their threat detection operations with your IT team’s ability to make adjustments, you can have a bulletproof cybersecurity structure in 2022.
Read: How To Avoid These 4 Common Cyber Security Mistakes
2-) Focus more on hybrid & remote work security
COVID-19 puts pressure on companies to use hybrid and remote work models that put employees’ health first. But after a while, web-based businesses realized the other benefits of these models such as saving time and resources and recruiting talent worldwide.
However, according to IT Governance, hybrid and remote work models raise concerns about increased cyber threats. Thus, if you have a hybrid work model, you need to focus more on its security by providing secure remote access and using a cloud-based VPN solution.
Cloud-based remote access VPN providers take care of any infrastructure concerns you might have. They provide these solutions as a service; vendors take care of installation, operation, and maintenance.
You can still protect hybrid work environments even if you don’t have a significant remote team as they are highly scalable. Start with a small remote team paying per-user basis, work your way up as the remote workforce becomes more prominent. You can read more about hybrid and remote work security to get the gist.
Read: 4 Top Security Tips When Remote Working
3-) Educate employees about phishing scams & cybersecurity
You might have a great cybersecurity infrastructure or a highly capable IT security team. But these two can only work to a certain level if other employees are unaware of the online risks and threats to their digital identity.
Verizon’s 2021 Data Breach report reveals the risk caused by uneducated employees as the report states that phishing scams are involved in 36% of cyberattacks. Considering the potential losses caused by a single data breach, educating employees is apparently crucial.
Here’s a little guideline on how to do that; schedule cybersecurity training sessions with your IT department, gather employees from each branch, and remind them about the possible threats. This will, in time, raise awareness on cybersecurity among your employees even if they’re not tech-savvy.
Read: Understanding the Latest Cybersecurity Trends
4-) Restrict network access & always verify
Cyber threats don’t always come from outside; your employees who access corporate networks also pose risks to business data. The Swiss Cyber Institute reports that 34% of businesses suffer from insider threats each year.
You need to restrict network access to prevent potential insider data breaches. One way of doing this is segmenting your network and identifying specific access levels for each employee position. For example, only allow your supervisors to access the most sensitive data on your networks.
Another thing to consider is putting verification checkpoints before every operation or access request. Always be sure that only authorized personnel is trying to access by using two-factor authentication and other advanced verification methods.
Conclusion
Cyber security is perhaps the single most important issue that concerns web-based business owners. They need to make sure to put appropriate policies in place if they don’t want to suffer from legal issues and financial loss.
If you follow the tips we provided, you are guaranteed to have a more comprehensive and reliable cyber security structure. When you consider the risk, you should adopt them before going further into 2022.
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