As business is increasingly digitized, the need for cyber security is increasingly pressing for many organisations – particularly small businesses who may not consider themselves a real target for cyberattacks. But the truth is that small businesses are sometimes chosen as targets precisely because they aren’t expecting it. This is why most IT experts agree that security should be a number 1 priority for many organisations. One IT company we spoke to, TechQuarters, discussed some of the top security trends that businesses – especially SMBs – should be considering. The managed IT services London businesses have been getting form TechQuarters for the last decade has had a special focus on the emerging security solutions born from cloud computing; so, what exactly are some of the top security trends nowadays?
Cybersecurity Trends for Businesses
Security for a business cannot be achieved through singular efforts; a business needs to implement a multi-faceted, layered strategy to protect themselves from attacks and breaches. According to TechQuarters, an organisation should pay particular attention to their data storage, the efficiency and consistency of their tasks and processes, and the security practices of users. Below are six examples of this:
-
Cloud Security
Many businesses nowadays are migrating to cloud computing, due to the flexibility it lends to business processes, and the new opportunities it can open up. In the past, many people were wary of the idea of hosting their data offsite, but the cloud is unique in that it doesn’t host data at any singular location; as a distributed network of servers, data is never held in any one location. Furthermore, public cloud providers invest a great deal in redundant data storage, so businesses relying on a public cloud can rest assured their data is well-protected.
-
Automation
A significant risk factor with security breaches is the potential for human error during the various tasks and processes associated with maintaining security. This is why automation is growing in popularity, as a means of guaranteeing that security processes are carried out quickly, consistently, and without error.
-
Password Protection
A persistent risk factor that has been around for almost as long as computers in general, is the tendency for individuals to re-use passwords – this weakens a password, because if one account is cracked, it will be easy to crack other accounts using that same password. The best solution is to use a password manager, which means users no longer need to remember each individual password, and can therefore use more complex and unique passwords.
-
Multi-Factor Authentication
In addition to using strong and unique passwords, an organisation should enforce multi-factor authentication for company accounts and devices. MFA is a technology that requires additional authentication to an account once a user has supplied the password – the most common form of additional authentication is a code send to an authorised email or phone number, which must be entered on the app, site, or device one wishes to access.
-
Infrastructure Monitoring
The simple act of an organisation monitoring their security and IT infrastructures is also a very important practice. For example, if a business only reviews their security once every 3 months, they are leaving a long period of time for things to become outdated. Thus, regularly reviewing the solutions and practices in place can help an organisation identify whether they need to make updates.
-
Backup & Disaster Recovery
The best insurance against a security breach or data theft is to ensure that you have a backup of your data and apps that can be used to restore functionality. This is quickly becoming an essential solution for many business, and the IT support in Birmingham and London which companies like TechQuarters provide are often inclusive of backup services. The process of restoring from a backup in the event of a significant breakdown of operations is known as disaster recovery. Having backup and disaster recovery in place can substantially lessen the impact of most cybersecurity breaches.
