Today’s Enterprise Security Best Practices

The average total cost of a data breach in 2019 was almost $4 million. If your enterprise can’t handle that kind of a hit, it’s time you started implementing (and upholding) cybersecurity best practices.

But what exactly is cybersecurity? And how can you be sure that you’re following the best practices? We’ll go over everything you need to know in order to keep your enterprise secure.

Enterprise Security 101

Cybersecurity is defined as “the art of protecting networks, devices, and data from unauthorized access or criminal use and the practice of ensuring confidentiality, integrity, and availability of information.”

As an enterprise, you are likely to send and receive sensitive and/or private information. In order to keep this information safe, cybersecurity measures act as a guard as it travels between devices and servers.

Without a safeguard, this information is left vulnerable to criminals. Nonexistent or ineffective cybersecurity can lead to many serious consequences that can affect not only you and your employees but your consumers as well. Moving forward, we’ll cover some of those outcomes — and how to prevent them.

The Consequences of Poor Security

Let’s be real: not everyone is tech-savvy. To some, all of this (cybersecurity, cybercriminals, cyberattacks) might sound like a bunch of nonsense. Can it actually have a real-life effect on your enterprise?

The answer is yes. As we mentioned before, a data breach could end up costing you millions of dollars. There are multiple ways that this could happen.

One such way is through a tactic called ransomware. Ransomware is a type of malware that blocks access to sensitive data or threatens to make it public. Cybercriminals typically demand a large sum of money before they will relinquish access to the data.

But some loss of revenue is more indirect. If hackers get their hands on your customers’ data, they could have access to personal information such as email addresses or even credit card numbers.

Once consumers hear about this, odds are they will no longer have trust in your enterprise. This leads to a lack of support, a dent in your reputation, loss of contract revenue, and a smaller return on investment.

But that’s not all. After an event like this, you could end up paying more in insurance premiums. You may have to allocate funds to attorney fees.

Your staff could lose the intellectual property. And they’ll certainly lose valuable time.

Believe it or not, in many cases a security breach is not noticed right away. It may be several months before a breach becomes apparent, and it may be several more before it can be resolved.

So, now that you know the risks, what precautions can you take?

Best Practices

It’s important to note that it’s pretty much impossible to be 100% hack-proof. But it is important to do what you can. Follow these best practices to lessen your risk.

Use Firewalls

A firewall determines what data comes through and where it goes. They ensure that only necessary files reach your network, keeping out anything that might jeopardize your assets.

Implement Multi-Factor Authentication

Multi-factor authentication, or MFA, is a security measure that verifies a user’s identity when logging in. In addition to a username and password, the MFA process will require a follow-up authenticator, such as a security question, a passcode, or a link.

Train and Re-train Staff

One of the ways in which companies are most vulnerable is though inexperienced or untrained staff members.

Your staff should be mindful of their passwords. No, they cannot use the same password for each secure login. And yes, they must change these passwords regularly.

Staff should also be aware of phishing. Phishing is the practice of sending fake emails in order to obtain personal information, such as login details. They should never follow links or input sensitive information if the email came from an unfamiliar source.

Ensuring that everyone is up-to-date on the latest security information could end up saving your company millions in the long run.

Encryption, Encryption, Encryption

Exchanging confidential material in person would definitely be the safest option. But of course, that’s not always possible. At some point, you’re probably going to have to share sensitive info through e-chat or e-mail.

Tauria can help with this. With Tauria, all your messages and files are encrypted before they leave your device and are only decrypted once they reach their destination. So, your data is encrypted (and safe) on our servers and while in transit.

Your Enterprise: Protected

Cybersecurity is no joke. Even companies that are the most cautious, like banks and healthcare organizations, have experienced breaches recently.

The losses can be devastating. Follow these best practices and learn more about Tauria’s secure collaboration platform so that your enterprise can be as safe as possible.