Rodney Don Holder Explains How To Properly Secure Your Business Network

Every business owner knows that you can’t put a price on cybersecurity. The damage that a hacker or malicious viruses can do to the company can cost a lot to repair if not completely ruin your company. So, following the ‘better safe’ path, we asked a security specialist for the best ways to protect a business against intrusions.

Rodney Don Holder is Vice President of Business Development and Operations at CEI in Dahlonega, Georgia. “Security reports show,” he says, “that almost half of the online security attacks are targeting businesses. And in most of these cases, lax security procedures are the main reason hackers can find a way in. It’s easy for a business to tighten its security with these simple steps.”

Two-Factor Authentication

One of the best ways to secure sensitive business data and online databases is to use two-factor authentication. It’s usually safer than the simple password which can be stolen, or anyone can just guess it.

Cloud storage is one of those areas where hackers focus their efforts to break into an otherwise secure system. Since many devices are connected to the cloud all the time, it’s better for you as a business owner to handle the security of the cloud database yourself. A two-factor authentication process is usually safer than the default security mechanisms offered by the cloud provider.

Use VPN

According to Rodney Don Holder, virtual private networks (VPN) are gaining popularity because they prevent hackers from tracking your activities online. What VPNs do is they encrypt all data passing between the company’s network and the Internet. Thus, making it harder to plant bugs or steal employees’ passwords.

With the company’s IP hidden, the hacker cannot monitor online traffic from and to the company’s servers or intercept emails or files that the employees send to clients or each other.

Update Software

As hackers work around the clock to find vulnerabilities in the software your company uses to hack into your network, software developers do their best to patch these vulnerabilities to make their software more secure.

A few years back many big corporations including Adobe came under cyber-attacks and tons of data were stolen. As it turned out, these companies were still using an old version of the now-defunct browser Internet Explorer. After the browser was updated to the latest version, the attacks stopped. It’s your responsibility to keep all the software you and your workers use up to date.

No File Sharing

Rodney Don Holder points out another security soft spot that hackers like to exploit. “File sharing is a favorite place for hackers to get access to the company’s network.” Workers like to use file-sharing because it’s a convenient way to work and collaborate without having to be in the same office.

But if they can access the file on the public network, so can anyone else trying to breach into the network’s security system. As a best practice, you should disable file sharing on all public networks and only allow it on the company’s private servers.