Tips to keep your Data Secure

Tips to keep your Data Secure

Data security has become vital as newer and more sophisticated digital threats emerge almost every other day. The number of affected organisations and individuals have been on a steady rise and finally seems to have caught the attention of governments and regulatory bodies. While user-centric security and privacy regulations are definitely the need of the hour, there are some data security steps that you can follow as an organisation and individual. Our cybersecurity experts from Perth explain seven efficient tips to keep your data secure.

Tips to keep your data secure

For every new technology created, there are multiple exploitable vulnerabilities that criminals can take advantage of. Data breaches cause financial losses and damage the brand reputation. If your customers’ confidential information gets leaked, they wouldn’t be able to trust you anymore or feel safe using your services. However, the following solutions will help you ensure the safety of your organisation’s data.

1. Add Multi-factor Authentication

While most businesses ensure to have password-protected access to their private networks, just having passwords isn’t enough anymore. Even the most secure and complex passwords can be compromised with the sophisticated tools that cybercriminals employ these days. Multi-factor authentication (MFA) is an excellent way to secure your logins. MFA requires multiple forms of identity verification before an individual can access a system or network. Generally, this includes passwords, security questions, authenticating apps, OTPs, calls or even biometric data.

2. Implement Email Security System

The most common cyberattacks, such as phishing and malware attacks, often start with emails. When you click on a malicious link sent in the email, malware gets downloaded and cybercriminals gain access to your information and your systems. The challenge in this situation is to identify malicious emails from genuine ones. Cybercriminals format their emails in such a way that they can be easily mistaken as coming from genuine sources. Having an effective Email Security System in place will help prevent this situation. You’ll be able to filter harmful emails using this method. Suspicious emails can be quarantined, and you can have your IT technicians inspect them.

3. Ensure Software and OS Patches are updated

This is a very common and obvious measure and yet one of the most ignored. Most of the large-scale attacks in recent times took advantage of systems and devices left vulnerable due to ignored updates. Patches are released for a reason – they take care of critical vulnerabilities that can be either exploited by cybercriminals or affect the performance of your applications. Ensure the software and OS on all systems are running on the latest versions.

4. Install Antivirus and Malware Protection

Just clicking on a link can give control of your systems to cybercriminals. Installing malware protection technology and proper antivirus software will protect your IT systems and data against phishing, hacking and other cyberattacks. You’ll be able to filter the internet traffic on your work systems and stop harmful connections. The antivirus will scan and monitor all the work devices, quarantining and blocking viruses quickly. Your team will be able to continue working productively without having repeated interruptions. It is essential that you buy antivirus software from reputed providers. Read our blog to understand the important things to note while buying antivirus software.

5. Enable Device Encryption

With personal devices being increasingly used for work purposes, they can become easy gateways into your organisation’s network. Scammers and hackers can gain access through these devices and carry out their notorious plans. You could also lose your devices which could lead to them being in the hands of the wrong people. To protect your data and your customer’s data, we recommend implementing device encryption in all the devices you use for work-related activities. Even if the device gets stolen, you’ll be able to encrypt or remote wipe the data with your IT team’s help so no one will be able to misuse the confidential information.

6. Awareness Training

Human errors contribute to a large number of cyberattacks every day. Whether it’s clicking on suspicious links or using easy-to-guess passwords for applications, some mistakes can be easily avoided with awareness training. Cybersecurity awareness training will aid your team to identify fraudulent emails from genuine mails and legitimate clients from scammers. By making your team aware of the pitfalls in cyberspaces and helping them adopt safer cybersecurity practices, you’ll be able to keep your data secure.

7. Partner with Cybersecurity Professionals

 While you could take steps to protect your own personal information effectively, doing so for a whole organisation won’t be easy. To keep up with the ever-emerging threats, you’ll need the assistance of someone who is an expert in cybersecurity technology and is constantly exposed to the developments in the field. This is why partnering with a trusted cybersecurity services provider in Perth is the best solution for keeping your data secure. An experienced team of experts will be able to create custom solutions for you and monitor your systems around the clock for maximum security.

These seven tips will help keep your data secure. However, these should be seen as first steps towards data security. To keep your organisation’s and customers’ data secure you will need a comprehensive cybersecurity strategy. If you are looking for a reliable cybersecurity team in Perth to help you with that, email us at cybersecurity@computingaustralia.group or contact us right away.

Jargon Busters

Encryption: Encryption is the process through which a piece of data is converted into code that can only be decrypted by those with authority to do so.
Malware: Any software designed to damage or wreck computer systems is called malware.
Remote Wipe: A solution where data on a device can be deleted remotely, especially in cases of device theft.