Keeping your data safe and secure has become a huge priority for companies in 2016. Despite the rising costs of cyber attacks, businesses are still not understanding the risks. They are still not getting the basics right. Any business, regardless of size, should be implementing IT security. The mistakes below could cost you money and hurt your reputation with your customers if you aren’t careful.
The fact is most companies lack the knowledge and manpower to combat the rising needs of cyber security. To help with this, more and more companies are turning to managed security services. You want managed security that makes your network secure from the inside out.
To keep you up to date here, are the top IT mistakes we see companies making on a regular basis.
Relying on Security Monitoring Software
Companies want to rely on established security practices. Installing anti-virus software and operating system updates are certainly understandable. Who wants to invest time, effort, or money in new security efforts? The problem is these efforts rarely increase efficiency or add measurable value to you or your clients. As the internet has evolved and so many aspects of our daily lives take place online, anti-virus software hasn’t been able to keep pace with the threats of 2016. Relying on a single source for your security is a mistake we see too often.
Handling IT Security Without a Pro
Implementing a growing number of technology solutions in your organization can be taxing and not cost effective. Technology continues to progress and evolve. It seems that security measures are lagging behind and struggling to match technology’s pace. Solutions like outsourcing your IT are becoming more and more popular to try and stay up to date with your company’s security. These IT professionals are focused on staying up to date with the latest threats to your system, and knowing the best ways to prevent them.
Lack of Encryption
Lack of encryption brings more trouble than you want. You don’t want the bad publicity and lost business from customers who decide you can’t be trusted with their data after a breach. When you are running a business and have a strict budget, an IT security disaster is the last thing you want. This all could be avoided by spending a fraction of those costs on basic program encryption for all your company computers.
User-Owned Mobile Devices
In 2016, employees want to use their own phones and mobile devices to access their work. With working remotely becoming more popular, this has become a major issue in IT security. The solution is only let your employees have a “sandbox” of data that they can access through usernames and passwords. A strong two-factor authentication process is available as well. If the mobile device is lost or stolen, your data would remain on your network, and not the device, reducing the risk of lost or breached data.
Thinking You Are Above Security
We often see members of management who feel exempt from the security system. That may come from thinking they are too busy and thinking they are safe from any problems. These employees are the same ones who have high access and permissions, which makes them high-value targets for hackers. IT security comes from the top down. These managers and administrators should follow the same security process that the rest of the employee’s follow.
For more information about your IT network, contact one of our approachable geniuses to schedule a consultation today.
