Technology In Business – 10 point security tips

by Andrew Horrocks

We all use various forms of technology at home, in business and on the move. It’s become a vital part of our every-day life allowing us to work from anywhere, providing up to the minute communications and of course providing entertainment.

Computers, servers, networks, internet, wifi, hosted telecoms, cloud software …. all are vital to the successful running of a modern business. They add significant value and, in many cases, transparently contribute to increased profitability and success.

Fast and reliable internet has allowed businesses to work better and embrace some awesome cloud technologies. This is wonderful, but what about security … how can you better protect your data and avoid becoming a Cyber Crime Statistic ?

Well your IT support company should have most of this in hand and a good provider will meet you on a quarterly basis to review their performance and run through the security you have in place and any suggestions for improvement. However, people who use computers are often the most significant risk as their actions can invite viruses and ransomware to infect their computers and poor working practices can result in security avoidable breaches.

Cyber crime is a serious problem but most business owners believe they are too small to be a victim. In reality most cyber crime is not targeted to an individual or business, it’s random based upon poor security and the unwitting actions of people. A 2018 survey showed that in the UK 43% of small businesses and 19% of charities had been significantly impacted by ransomware and other cyber issues.

So should you stop using technology to avoid losing sleep over the risks? Not at all. I would advise you to simply engage with your IT company and ask them for a security review, then take remedial actions immediately. I would be happy to do this for you or even review a security report free of charge.

My 10 Point IT Security Tips contains essential MUST DO actions for every business, although these only scratch the surface. Most of these apply to home computer users, also the majority are totally free, so there’s no excuse.

10 Point IT Security Tips
1. Apply Security Updates To Computers & Servers Regularly
2. Use Antivirus On All Computers… You too Mac Users!
3. Use Password With Mixed Case Letters, Numbers & Special Characters ($£% etc..)
4. Delete Emails Which Seem Suspicious
5. Take Care …Emails From Known Contacts May Be Fake & Harmful
6. Change IT Equipment Passwords Regularly (Routers & Firewalls etc..)
7. Avoid Using Public WIFI – Use Your Mobile Data Instead
8. Check Staff Access Rights & Delete Leavers
9. Get All To Staff Understand & Sign Your IT Usage Policy
10. Review Security With Your IT Support Company Quarterly
Despite all efforts to have the best security and processes security breaches can still happen. So my final tip for this month; ALWAYS have a BACKUP and a DISASTER RECOVERY PLAN

For more details visit  www.swan-solutions.com or call 01925 544 999 or email: [email protected]