In today’s world, cyber security is more important than ever. As businesses become increasingly reliant on technology, they also become increasingly vulnerable to cyber-attacks. That’s why it’s essential for businesses to have a strong cyber security protocol in place to protect their data, their customer’s data, and their reputation.
There are roughly 30,000 websites hacked daily. The amount of damages is measured in tens of billions of dollars. All of this shows how serious hackers are and how important it is for companies to protect themselves from these hacking attempts.
Every business must set a flawless anti-hacking system. Most companies will hire IT services that will provide this protection, but basic knowledge of the issue is mandatory. In this article, we’ll show you what a perfect cybersecurity business protocol is, step by step.
Step 1: Assess Your Risks
The first step in setting up a cyber security protocol is to assess your risks. What kind of data do you store? What kind of data do you process? What kind of data do you transmit? What consequences can a data breach cause? By answering these questions, you can identify your most important assets and vulnerabilities.
Step 2: Define Your Policy
The next step is to define your cyber security policy. Your policy should outline your goals, your standards, and your procedures. It should also define roles and responsibilities, and it should be communicated clearly to all employees. Your policy should cover the following areas:
- Passwords: Define password standards, such as length, complexity, and expiration.
- Access: Define who has access to what data and under what circumstances.
- Network Security: Define how your network is secured, including firewalls, intrusion detection systems, and encryption.
- Data Security: Define how your data is secured, including backups, encryption, and access controls.
- Incident Response: Define how you will respond to a cyber attack, including reporting, investigation, and remediation.
- Compliance: Define how you will comply with relevant regulations and standards.
Step 3: Train Your Employees
Human error is the main reason for data breaches. That’s why training your employees on your cyber security policy is essential. Your training should cover the following topics:
- Passwords: How to create strong passwords and how to protect them.
- Phishing: How to recognize and avoid phishing attacks.
- Network Security: How to use secure networks and how to avoid public Wi-Fi.
- Data Security: How to protect sensitive data and how to avoid data leaks.
- Incident Response: How to report incidents and how to respond to them.
Because of human error, or employees falling on phishing tricks, businesses lose tremendous amounts of money. The average hacking ransom situation means losing around $1.85 million. This number was 2021’s average, so you understand the losses are enormous if you don’t educate your employees on the subject.
Step 4: Implement Technical Controls
Technical controls are tools and technologies that help enforce your cyber security policy. The following controls are essential for any business:
- Anti-Virus: Anti-virus software detects and removes malware from your devices.
- Firewalls: Firewalls block unauthorized access to your network.
- Intrusion Detection Systems: Intrusion Detection Systems monitor your network for suspicious activity.
- Encryption: Encryption protects your data from unauthorized access.
- Backups: Backups ensure that you can recover from a data breach.
Step 5: Monitor And Review
The final step in setting up a cyber security protocol is to monitor and review your policy and procedures regularly. This will help you identify any weaknesses or gaps in your security, and it will help you stay up to date with emerging threats and best practices. You should monitor the following areas:
- Network Activity: Monitor your network for suspicious activity, such as unusual logins or data transfers.
- Logs: Keep logs of all network activity, and review them regularly for signs of a breach.
- Compliance: Ensure that you are complying with relevant regulations and standards.
- Incident Response: Test your incident response plan regularly to ensure that it is effective.
Most businesses will hire an IT agency to deliver this task for them. It’s more affordable to outsource the problem than to employ experts within the company. Hiring three people will cost more than $500,000, while outsourcing means ten times less than this amount.
Conclusion
Setting up a perfect cyber security protocol is a crucial step for any business in today’s digital age. By assessing your risks, defining your policy, training your employees, implementing technical controls, and monitoring and reviewing regularly, you can protect your business from cyber-attacks and safeguard your data and your reputation.
Remember, cyber security is an ongoing process, so it’s essential to stay up to date. Trends are constantly changing. Technology is moving forward, and as protection systems are upgrading, so are hackers’ abilities. Spend more time researching. Hire the right people for the job. You can protect your business only with a dedicated and competent team of IT anti-hacking professionals.
