Key Steps a Business Should Take to Improve Their IT Security Posture

Security is not just for banks and big businesses.

It’s for all organizations, big or small.  Over the years, we’ve found a large number of organizations that could have prevented a data loss or data breach event from occurring by taking a few precautions.  Here are some proactive steps to helping your company’s servers and systems become more secure.

1. Awareness.  Keep everyone aware and vigilant about the dangers that lurk around every corner.  From links inside unsolicited email to apps that promise “free stuff,” helping your team understand the potential disasters created by a careless click can go a long way to keep your company safely running.
2. Keep your computers patched.  By patching your computers, you can stay up-to-date and reduce vulnerabilities in your Operating Systems and applications.
3. Protect your perimeter.  Items such as a dedicated firewall go a long way to help protect your business.
4. Protect against Viruses and Malware.  You may already have some antivirus (AV) software, if you don’t, put that on your “to-do” list now.
5. Control and Monitor access to computers and data.  Limiting access to critical data such as HR and Finance data limits your liability.
6. Perform periodic security testing of perimeter and internal networks.
7. Be prepared to respond to an incident.  Having a plan that outlines “who” does “what” if a security issue is discovered can help you respond faster which can lessen the impact.
8. Designate a Security Resource.  Security is more than just a piece of hardware or software.  You need people and processes to help with prevention and response if an issue occurs.

By taking action and implementing some of these steps, you can improve the security in your company’s servers, PC’s and network. As a result, you can potentially prevent a data breach or data loss at your organization. Saving your company money, time, and reputation.