Colorado Springs Business Journal Event on Cybersecurity: Hear From the Experts
Top cybersecurity experts, including Blake Schwank, the CEO of Colorado Computer Support, recently shared critical insights into the world of cybersecurity, and specifically how Colorado businesses could protect their businesses. It was a journal event held online, and it focused its attention on the various ways businesses could be secured against cyber threats.
The ever-rising cases of cyberattacks have thrown many businesses and organizations into a spin worldwide. Cybercriminals are pulling out all the stops, attacking any business in their paths in the hope of causing chaos, stealing information, and deploying ransomware, so they can squeeze money out of the unfortunate business owners.
Here are the insights shared by cybersecurity experts in the Colorado Springs Business Journal event:
If you don’t invest in secure and reliable backup, you would be in trouble when cybercriminals come calling. It may be quite expensive to secure your business with modern technology, but it would be nothing compared to the cost of downtime lasting one month.
The security of your information systems is just as important as your business itself. If cybercriminals breach your security systems and get hold of your data, the continuity of your business would be in jeopardy. Remember that most businesses that suffer cyberattacks never actually recover.
2. Use AI rather than people
Your IT personnel may not really be able to check the IT systems, and determine possible areas with problems due to human limitations. They may not spot data leakages, or warning signs as attempted logins.
Even analyzing logs can be problematic, especially if the systems records thousands of them in a day. But machine learning can make it a lot easier, by flagging unusual behavior, including logins from unknown devices, and unusual traffic to your website.
3. Security risk assessment on critical people
Your IT systems are as safe as the people using them. You need to conduct a risk assessment of your personnel as frequently as you do your IT infrastructure. The systems could be water-tight, but the users may be the weak link cybercriminals are looking to exploit.
It is important to conduct regular spot checks on your IT department to see how they are using the systems. You will be able to know if they are engaging in anything that can jeopardize the security of the systems, and take appropriate action.
4. Use strong passwords
Weak passwords provide an easy way for cybercriminals to break into your IT systems. When it comes to creating strong passwords, these tips should help you out:
- Never save passwords on your devices
- Use long passwords consisting of both numbers and special characters
- Have a different password for each of your accounts
- Assign a separate password for each of your IT users
Creating strong passwords also needs you to think like criminals. This means avoiding anything easy to guess or crack. In this case, avoid using words, dates, or your mother’s maiden name. Criminals may find a way of cracking them through guesswork.
5. Use 2FA on devices
A password alone, however, complex it may be, is not enough to keep out cybercriminals. Online criminals have become more sophisticated, and are using devious ways, such as fake websites, to collect your credentials. Getting this malware into your system would be as easy as emailing you a phony link.
To seal these loopholes, be sure to activate the 2-Factor Authentication on all your devices. You could use a text message, or a code sent to your email, or even an authenticator app. This would make it impossible for anyone with the password to log in unless they have access to your devices.
6. Train your employees
Since criminals have become more ingenious, it is important you train your employees about the potential cybersecurity risks. Your employees need to know the following important information:
- How to create strong passwords
- Spotting fake links and unsolicited email attachments
- Keeping their devices secure and up-to-date
- Be familiar with the cybersecurity policies of your business
Your cybersecurity policy would more effective if you invest your resources in training your employees. It might take some time, but it’s worth all the trouble since you would be sealing loopholes criminals may want to exploit.
7. Windows Pro edition
If your organization uses the Windows platform for its computing, you would rather upgrade the operating system from Windows 10 to Windows 10 Pro. This is because the pro version has more reliable security features compared to its base edition.
It may require a little investment, but it could go a long way in strengthening your cybersecurity strategies. Also, be sure to install all the security patches to seal any loopholes that may provide a gateway into your IT systems.
8. Secure your devices
It is also important to secure all your devices — including mobile devices used by your staff. Apart from the servers and computers, mobile devices such as smartphones, tablets, and laptops need to be secured with unique passwords.
If your employee loses any of the mobile devices, they should be rendered useless to any potential cyber hacker who may want to use them to access your business data. This is why it isn’t a good idea to save credentials on these devices.
9. Attacks can happen to anyone
Long gone are the days hackers only targeted big organizations or prominent individuals. Today, they are hacking into anything hackable, and that includes your small business. This was quite evident when cybercriminals began breaching on-site Microsoft Exchange Server software, affecting hundreds of thousands of businesses, both small and big.
If your growing business doesn’t have the resources to support a full in-house IT team, you could consider outsourcing cybersecurity services to reliable service providers, such as Colorado Computer Support. Threats to cybersecurity continue to grow, and you need to take stringent cybersecurity measures to keep your business in Colorado safe.
Need more info on how you can secure the IT systems of your business? Please contact us today.
