Businesses face all kinds of issues and challenges today. Whether it’s competition from other companies, the desire to build the customer base or even productivity issues it feels like there is always a fire to put out. But one fire that shouldn’t slip by unnoticed is IT security measures. The fact is, what worked 10+ years ago isn’t going to cut it today. Cybercriminals have grown savvier and their targets have broadened.
So what can you as a business owner do to stay up to date on the latest and most effective IT security measures? These are some of the best tips out there that your company can adopt.
Conduct a Thorough Risk Assessment
What often ends up being the case is that business owners think they are doing a great job, employing all the right security measures and using the right software but until a risk assessment is done – you don’t know. Risk assessments do a great job of pointing out areas of concern, which could be potential problems down the road. Your company may only have a few of these gaps or it may have many.
Keep Staff Up to Date and Properly Trained
And just because the owner may be aware of potential dangers and threats in the digital realm doesn’t mean employees are. Nor do they know how to spot potential issues and what to do about them. This is why it’s important to keep staff up to date and properly trained in terms of processes, steps and procedures all meant to better secure company and customer data.
Each time you add something new to the mix, training needs to occur. Staff also need to have a point person – an IT representative – that they can go to with questions and concerns.
Access Control Measures Can Be a Very Useful Tool
Sometimes better security means giving employees less access. Ask yourself if all employees need access to all data. Most companies choose to implement access control measures that restrict what each employee has access to.
Outsourcing Allows You to Benefit from What the Professionals Can Offer
Don’t want to go through all the trouble of upgrading software and trying to put all the new security measures in place? Doing so results in an added expense for the company and extra time spent training employees on the new security measures. Neither of these may sound particularly appealing. This, among many other reasons, is why companies often end up outsourcing to professionals.
Finding an experienced managed services provider means they are the ones that mitigate the risks and increase your overall IT security. This will help lessen the IT costs and can ensure that your IT investment is being optimized to the fullest. A managed IT service provider can also help the company to streamline processes, which improves productivity and efficiency.
It’s Time to Prioritize IT Security
So if you haven’t yet prioritized IT security in your company, the time to do so is now. With cyberattacks happening at an increased pace, it’s not worth taking the risk.