How secure is your computer?
We are starting our first blog about security, and how as a small business you can keep your important data safe.
Security by obscurity – what many people fall into.
Many people think that they are secure, just by using secrecy as their main method of keeping information secure. It’s like leaving your front door key under the flower pot. You know where it is, your friends and family know and you think that’s safe – where do you reckon a burglar will look first when trying to break into your home? It’s a known vulnerability, something you could have mitigated with other security controls. It’s no different with computers, you wouldn’t leave your username and password on a post-it note in front of your screen… would you?
Treat your computer and any device that stores data as you would your home. Just adding a password to your laptop, or your emails doesn’t means someone won’t be able to get in. Someone can get that password, and access everything. In most incidents of data loss/leaks, the hackers didn’t even need a password! They used you, to give them access without you knowing (remember that suspicious link you clicked?).
So, now you know not to hide your key under the flower pot but what else could you do to add another layer of security, maybe add an alarm system?
It alerts you when someone is in your home when they shouldn’t be and it also deters them. The same can be said about Anti-Virus software, it alerts you something isn’t right and it will do its best to stop it.
Your house has valuable belongings, just like that critical data for your next project – maybe your most valued items are in a safe somewhere else?
Why not do the same with your data and double it with a backup to a different physical location? Keeping a copy of all your data will ensure that if your laptop is lost or stolen, you can restore that valuable data or if you accidentally spill your breakfast. The cloud is safe from orange juice, and so is your data.
And finally, why not add a front gate to your home as the first defense against those pesky cold callers?
Guess what, you can do the same with your office network with a suitable firewall – preventing those nasty hackers from getting in and even stopping data from leaving.
So, you want to implement all the above and reduce the risk of attack or data loss, or theft. We have some things that you can do immediately to make it less likely to happen to you, and some things we can provide you to completely reduce and mitigate those risks.
What you can do now
- Change all your passwords to be more unique for each account you have (ie Emails, laptop, payroll, etc)
- Make sure it’s memorable but complicated, 12 characters long, contains letters and numbers, and add special characters
- It’s now recommended you don’t change passwords regularly! Why? Adding an extra 0 to the end doesn’t make it safe – you know what I am talking about.
- Enable Multi-Factor Authentication for all your online accounts
- But it’s inconvenient and annoying I hear you say? Sure, it’s an extra step but that step will make it harder for someone to get into your application. Potentially saving your business.
- Get rid of all those post-it notes with your username and passwords!
- Need I say more?
What we can do
There are multiple services we can offer, that will help you and not cost you a fortune. All our solutions are suitable for any size business, from 1 man bands to large companies.
- BitDefender – Enterprise Grade Anti-Virus and Malware
- Acronis – Backup Solution
- Network Firewalls
Get in contact with us, to find out more on how we can help you.
Email us at hello@auxilio-it.co.uk or call 01603 399653
