Creating a Business Cybersecurity Checklist

We’ll help you figure out:

How secure your business’s cybersecurity should be, and where it may be suffering
The risks of an unsecured network
How to prepare for a cyberattack
When you should seek a provider that guarantees managed services security

Why Cybersecurity for Businesses Is the New Priority

We know you’re a responsible business owner, but have you recently evaluated the strength of your company’s network? If you have an efficient IT team that does its job protecting your company, that’s wonderful. But you should always be looking for ways to improve your defenses.

As it stands, cybersecurity is increasingly becoming more of a concern for business owners. In the third quarter of 2022, the average occurrence of cyberattacks per organization has increased by 28% compared to Q3 2021. Company leaders are starting to recognize that if they’re not making the effort to keep their network’s security tight-knit, they could find their business in an incredibly vulnerable position.

Is My Network Secure?

As a business owner trying to manage your network, you should ask yourself: “is my current network secure, and if not, how do I identify its weak points?” By starting with this prompt, you’re putting yourself in the right headspace to begin taking inventory of your network’s strengths and weaknesses.

Where Your Network Security May Be Weak

It could be easier to identify your network security’s weak points before its strengths, especially if your organization has been running into issues. When your computers are reportedly lagging and behaving strangely, your devices could already be infected with malware.

You should also be mindful of common Internet of Things (I0T) devices like wireless thermometers, mobile phones, tablets, and smart speakers, which also connect to your network. These tend to serve as easy access points for hackers and other cybercriminals because of how overlooked they are.

Additionally, if the built-in security system on your devices (like a Windows computer) is constantly alerting you that your network’s security is weak, you should take these warnings seriously. Even at the most basic level, any antivirus program or defense system that catches repeated attempts at violating your security is likely onto something.

The Risks of an Unsecured Network

Having an unsecured network can leave your business in an extremely vulnerable position. And, unfortunately, because cybercriminals continue finding ways to bypass common network defenses, cybersecurity for businesses requires leaders to be extra vigilant.

With the way cyberattacks have spiked, the trends show that what may have been a suitable defense merely a year or two ago will soon be outdated. That’s why every organization should focus on regularly updating their antivirus and antispyware programs, as well as enabling 24/7 monitoring. If you adopt the ideology of growing with the technology of the industry, like looking out for small IoT devices, you can avoid disaster.

But what does disaster actually look like? Here’s what we’ve seen, and what your organization wants to avoid:

Ransomware, which unfortunately is the “go-to” method of attack for cybercriminals, is a type of malware that threatens the destruction of your precious data unless a ransom is paid.
Data breaches that reveal sensitive information about your business’s assets and can leak the names, addresses, and social security information of your employees.
Your organization starts to develop a reputation for having a history of network violations, jeopardizing relationships with key stakeholders.
Your business fails to abide by compliance guidelines, which can open you up to litigation issues for failing to properly protect your assets.
You become responsible for shelling out enough money to cover the damages from the security breach, which depending on the scale of the attack, can result in a huge loss of revenue.

Liss Technologies understands how important your network’s security is. When you choose us as your IT solution, we’ll evaluate how much of your data is at risk. Learn how we conduct our vulnerability assessments.

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How to Prepare for a Cyberattack

The risks of an unsecured network are pretty alarming, so how do you ward off cyberattacks? Thankfully, it’s not a complicated process.

Preparing Your Business Cybersecurity Checklist

If you’re unsure what a strong network looks like, we recommend your business has the following components:

A comprehensive security operations center (SOC) to anticipate and handle cyberthreats at the right time with an incident response plan
A hub for your administration to handle account access and passwords that mandates stronger passwords and multi-factor authentication
A powerful antivirus program that regularly scans for virus detection and blocks malicious attacks
Firewalls and encrypted data to safely guard your network
Virtual private networks (VPNs) that wards against any interceptions in communications, especially for employees working remotely
Strong endpoint security, which goes above and beyond to secure all devices on your network
A comprehensive training system that ensures your employees are well aware of what cyberattacks look like and how to avoid them

If you’ve started with some of these recommendations, you’re already doing your business a favor in strengthening its network security. But there’s always room for improvement, especially considering how much a successful cyberattack can damage your business.

Why You Should Consider a Managed Service Provider

A managed service provider (MSP) is a third-party source that will take on the task of overseeing and administrating your company’s security processes. The provider will offer network, application, and infrastructure security through their centralized data center, typically done through the cloud.

This is extremely beneficial if keeping up with the recommended levels of cybersecurity for businesses is too overwhelming. For organizations where resources may be scarce, seeking an MSP is a wise choice if they cannot logistically allocate the time or proper amount of trained individuals to handle this level of 24/7 security monitoring.

Does investing in managed services security sound like the right option for your business? Seek the expertise of Liss Technologies. We’ll offer your organization all the benefits an MSP provides, including the peace of mind of knowing your network is protected. Partner with us today.

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