Keeping Security Top of Mind in 2018

We continue to see the same trend when it comes to security and the perception of it in the past few months.  A percentage of organizations are taking it very seriously and some continue to think it does not pertain to them for many reasons.

We all need to start thinking differently about security as this is no longer a passive responsibility.  It is an ongoing challenge that needs a strategy as it is an ever-changing world.  Secondly, as a whole, we are aggregating a tremendous amount of data compared to 10 or even 5 years ago.  It is no longer just customer and vendor data we are storing but employee data, personal data of customers, credit card data and more.  With more data comes more responsibility to protect that data. Here some tips to get the ball rolling, however, an overall strategy that is revisited yearly is essential:

• Strong Passwords across all systems, changed them routinely and kept confidential
• Implement a patch management system that installs updates for windows, adobe, chrome and any other common applications
• Have a documented security program that includes policies for acceptable data use, BYOD, incident response and other policies.  ** Ensure this is communicated and reviewed yearly **
• Ensure email, Wi-Fi and remote access are all done under secure connections
• 3-2-1 Backup:  Have 3 copies of your data, ensure that these backups are on 2 different media types, and ensure at least 1 of these backup sets is located offsite.  This is critical for when something does slip through the cracks to limit the time to restore information.
• Have a Disaster Recovery Plan, keeping in mind the timing you need for your business to survive. What is your timing in terms of “return to operation”?  How many days and/or hours can you tolerate being without your systems before it affects you from a true loss standpoint?
• Implement a vulnerability scanning tool that can let you know if there are holes in your network

Securing your systems is ongoing, everlasting activity. The world is different these days and by protecting your digital resources, you are protecting your business and employees.