A vital part of any company’s technology infrastructure includes their cybersecurity measures. One data breach or malware attack can be devastating for a business and mean hours or days of expensive downtime.
Just like everything else in the IT world, cyberthreats evolve. The same network security safeguards that you put in place two years ago, may not be enough to protect you today.
Last year was a particularly ferocious one for attacks on networks and cloud infrastructure. The FBI reported a 400% increase in cyberattack reports during the midst of the pandemic.
Some of the increased threats that companies in Columbus, OH and around the country saw included:
- Higher rate of credential theft
- Increased number of phishing attacks
- Attacks targeting work-from-home employees
- Over 350,000 new malware & potentially unwanted applications per day
What does your business need to do to stay protected against both increasing threats and new methods of attack?
Here are some key areas that you’ll want to address in your cybersecurity planning for 2021.
Network Security Using Zero Trust
According to McKinsey, both enterprises and small and mid-sized businesses (SMBs) are planning to increase spending in the area of network security in 2021.
New security measures that are becoming more popular to keep out all the new malware variants being produced each day are those that employ “Zero Trust.”
Using a Zero Trust approach to cybersecurity means only allowing trusted applications, file types, etc. to either enter or execute commands in a system.
For example, standard antivirus programs will connect to a database of known threats to identify any dangerous file types attempting to enter a system. But if there is a new ransomware that is not yet in that database, it can get through.
Instead of keeping out the “bad guys,” a Zero Trust approach only allows in the “good guys” and blocks everything else. So, a security program doesn’t need to know all the new malware variants to block them, it automatically blocks anything not on the whitelist of approved files types or applications.
Implementation this type IT security can greatly improve your data, device, and network protections.
Improved Remote Worker Security
Remote workers are a legacy of the pandemic. Many companies are keeping them permanently, both to stay agile in the face of another unknown crisis and because employees working from home tend to have higher productivity.
The number of permanent remote workers is expected to double in 2021.
While businesses were scrambling just to put new supports in place for remote teams last year, in 2021, remote worker security is going to be a major focus.
This includes using VPNs and the need to have a completely secure system for collaborating online and sharing sensitive files. Moving to more secure systems, like AhelioSync, provides businesses several protections that traditional cloud storage services don’t.
Such as:
- Download limit policies
- Collision file resolution
- Organization bandwidth throttling
- Two-factor authentication
- File locking
- Expiration date policies
- And much more
Improved Credential Security
With most business data now located in the cloud, credential theft has been on the rise. Often, the only thing keeping a hacker out of a lucrative cloud storage account or multi-application platform, like Microsoft 365, is your weakest user password.
It’s important look at password security as more than just telling employees to use strong passwords. Today’s workers have so many different passwords to remember that they often fall into the same bad habits. These include:
- Reusing passwords across work and personal accounts
- Using weak passwords because they’re “easy to remember”
- Storing passwords insecurely (sticky notes, unprotected spreadsheet)
- Sharing passwords with coworkers
Look at putting systems in place like a business password manager. This is an application that keeps a secure vault of all user passwords. The user only has to remember one strong password to access of the others.
Single sign-on (SSO) technologies that give companies more choices when it comes to multi-factor authentication are also an important IT security addition. These types of apps allow companies to do things like ask additional challenge questions if a user is logging in from an unknown IP address or from outside a particular geographical region.
Get a Handle on Endpoint Security (Mobile & IoT)
Computers no longer make up the majority of a typical company’s endpoints. Mobile devices now account for 60% of them, yet they are usually much less protected.
Endpoint security is another area were both SMBs and enterprise companies are planning budget increases this year. The more mobile and IoT devices added to a network, the more vulnerable it can be if you don’t secure them properly.
Using an endpoint device management application (like Microsoft Intune) can give you better visibility into and control of your endpoint security.
Strengthen Your Network Security With Help from AhelioTech
Cybersecurity is a continuous process that includes regular vulnerability testing and evolving safeguards. We can help your Columbus area business ensure you’re properly protected in 2021 and beyond.
Contact us today for a free quote. Call 614-333-0000 or reach out online.
