6 Easy Tips for Ensuring Better Data Security in 2019

You always need an action plan which helps address cybersecurity issues as and when you find them. It’s always good to go for a cybersecurity audit, which helps businesses assess every aspect of the overall cybersecurity posture. Areas of vulnerability can be detected, issues can be spotted out and rectified in time and preventive measures can be adopted on time to ensure proper data security. Every business should, in fact, have a cybersecurity checklist which could make the audit easier and more organized. Similarly, if needed and if it could be afforded, it’s always good to seek professional help in conducting periodic cybersecurity audits.

Security software, a vital part of cybersecurity. Any business today would need security software to protect its systems and network from malware attacks. Hence, it’s important that sufficient budget is earmarked for investing in security software. What kind of software a business organization would need depends on the nature and size of the business. But it needs to be kept in mind that this is an area that’s not to be treated with callousness; security is key to the successful running of any business establishment today.

Updating all the software (including the operating systems) is key to data security. All the software that’s used in an organization needs to be the latest version and all security patches need to be applied on time. We’ve seen many devastating cyberattacks that have happened exploiting security vulnerabilities that weren’t patched on time. The WannaCry attack is a very notable example of this.

Well, coming to the periodic upgrading of software, it’s best to automate the whole process. If your antivirus/antimalware software, your OS and all the other software that you use are set to get updated automatically on a regular basis, it would definitely contribute towards ensuring better data security.

To secure data, it’s always best to create and use your own secure, decentralized virtual network instead of depending on an outside system; depending on an outside system could lead to the breach of your business data and communication history. A decentralized virtual network, hosted in the cloud or on the company’s own servers, would give the company total control over the data sharing process. It would become easy to manage and secure all document-sharing, messaging and all other activities that happen in the network. This helps small businesses secure data very effectively.

Security always starts at the individual level; every individual in an organization contributes to ensuring effective cybersecurity. Hence, for any business, it’s important to monitor what the employees are doing and how they handle data. The employees need to be taught and trained in all aspects of cybersecurity. They should also be trained as regards the different preventive strategies that need to be adopted to ensure proper data security. Monitoring employees is also important since there could be instances when a disgruntled employee could cause data breach to happen.