As data breaches continue to rise with businesses becoming more digital, security should be your primary concern to protect your data. It's crucial to take necessary measures to safeguard your business operations. One of the considerations is improving the IT security infrastructure of your company. Having a well-protected, efficient infrastructure can stop a potential breach at its tracks.
Always keep in mind that the cost of an unprotected IT infrastructure can be high. When a data breach occurs, which is one of the prevalent IT security threats, it can result in a significant loss and put your company's reputation at risk. If you fail to secure your IT infrastructure, you're making your business processes vulnerable to various cybersecurity threats such as malware infiltration, denial of service attacks, or account hijacking. These threats will allow malicious elements to control your network and all your data.
If you want to ensure your company's security, here are several tips to improve the IT security infrastructure:
1. Conduct A Comprehensive IT Assessment
According to cyber security companies in Denver, even if you're aware of the need to protect your company's IT infrastructure, you might not know where to start or the scope you need to cover. Consider consulting a professional on IT services to carry out a security audit for you in such circumstances.
Working with a professional can pinpoint the gaps or vulnerabilities in your system and suggest how to fix them. Make sure to discuss the specific needs of your business so the professional can outline a suitable IT security program.
2. Enforce IT Security Policies
The IT team in your company should create a set of protocols and standard operating procedures (SOPs) for the employees. It's crucial that everybody is well-aware and receives proper training on how they can utilize the IT systems and tools responsibly and securely.
Always issue guidelines covering all aspects of IT security. In most cases, it can include elements such as setting up the vendor, remote access to the IT network, data transfer, and mobile device use.
3. Implement A Strong Password Policy
In the IT security guidelines of your company, always include a strong password policy. When you have one in place, it helps prevent any potential attempts to break into your system. Today, you can conveniently come up with highly secure passwords by utilizing a password management solution. Generally, it's an application that allows you to generate company-wide standards when setting passwords.
4. Regularly Backup Your Data
When a data breach occurs, it can negatively disrupt the competitiveness and profitability of your company. The same goes for data loss due to natural calamities. A data backup solution will come in handy in helping with the data recovery efforts if your IT infrastructure is compromised.
An option worth considering is backing up data using cloud services, which allows you to keep encrypted data via cloud storage. Don't forget to regularly test the backup services for any possible issues that might prevent you from accessing your data when the need arises.
5. Audit The Servers
In any business, the servers can be the hardware or programs managing the central resource of your network. When a downtime on your server occurs due to security issues, it can detrimentally affect your business operations.
One way to prevent this is to conduct an audit of your server and prioritize aspects such as sharing permissions, user database, and password standards. The reason why an audit is necessary is to determine the current level of security of your server, pinpoint any possible vulnerabilities in the system, and schedule the patching of these weak points.
6. Ensure Regular Updates For The Antivirus And Anti-Malware Software
Over the years, viruses and malware have posed a threat to your IT infrastructure. Some are now highly sophisticated to bypass the latest security solutions. As long as you maintain your antivirus and anti-malware software up to date, it'll be able to identify and neutralize the current version of the malware or virus. The anti-malware software provides an extra layer of protection against malware.
Consider automating the updates for both the antivirus and anti-malware software to ensure your defenses are always on guard.
7. Educate Employees On Safe IT Practices
The employees can be a vulnerability to the security of your company. One way to improve the security of your business is to provide awareness training. Generally, it involves educating employees about safe online practices such as making strong passwords, being vigilant for suspicious emails, maintaining the confidentiality of business-related data, and many more.
Employees who are well-aware of the current cybersecurity threats and maintain safe online practices can significantly help in minimizing cybersecurity attacks.
Final Thoughts
When one of your goals is to maintain the smooth operations of your business while minimizing the possibility of potential cybersecurity attacks, the IT security infrastructure of your company should always be the priority. When you overlook even a minor aspect of the security, it can compromise the capability of your IT infrastructure in thwarting cybersecurity threats. With these useful tips in boosting the IT security infrastructure of your company, you'll have peace of mind knowing your business processes and data are secure.
Caroline Smith is an IT security specialist with 7 years of experience in developing and testing security architectures of cloud-based systems. She shares her expertise by writing blogs. During her free time, Caroline loves hiking and reading a good book.
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