Cybersecurity starts with you. Did you know around 90% of cyberattacks are caused in some way by human error? The best cybercriminals prey on those with little knowledge in order to gain access to sensitive data.
The only way to combat this type of attack is to educate your employees and yourself on current trends in cybercrime. Security awareness training offers lessons, video training, lectures, simulations, and tests designed to teach you how to spot, avoid, and report attacks before they happen. Adding it to your list of resolutions – and continuing to do so for years to come – is essential to keeping your data safe.
1. Use Multi-factor Authentication (MFA)
MFA is a great tool to prevent cyber breaches. With MFA, the user is asked to authenticate themselves with something they know, for example, their password, and something they have, such as a one-time passcode generated by an app on a previously registered mobile device.
This two-step process is simple to implement and defends against situations where an employee’s password has been stolen. MFA is also best paired with a password manager. Password managers generate a strong and unique password for each software tool, app, or service and then store these passwords in an encrypted locker. MFA and password managers are a great compliment to each other.
Read more about MFA here.
2. Deliver a Cybersecurity Awareness Program
Too many businesses are still doing annual cybersecurity training. Annual training isn't the best option. If annual security training is merely a hoop to jump through, staff and employees will comply, but they will not learn a lot and their habits won’t change.
This is why we recommend a cybersecurity awareness program. By “program,” we mean something robust and ongoing. Learn more about cybersecurity awareness training here.
3. Audit Your Tech Staff
Routine technology audits are a must. In today’s workplace, employees and department heads add new SaaS and software tools at a crazy pace.
Therefore, organizations of all sizes should thoroughly inventory their technology assets. Cataloging devices and physical infrastructure is easy enough. If you don’t know where employees are storing data, PII or PHI can be stolen, lost, or compromised. Generally, experts from an MSP are essential in the process of helping clients fully inventory and audit their technology assets.
4. Adopt a Cyber Security Standard
Adopting a cybersecurity standard is another great new year’s resolution. A cybersecurity standard provides a written framework with few policies, procedures, tools, and security processes. Most standards presume that various businesses will have different levels of maturity and resources. It is natural that smaller organizations will have lower levels of maturity – and smaller budgets for cyber security defences.
A few popular cybersecurity standards include:
- International Organization for Standardization (ISO) ISO/IEC 27032:2012
- Center for Internet Security (CIS)
- Control Objectives for Information and Related Technology (COBIT) 2019
- National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Cyber Security Framework
5. Perform a Cyber Risk Assessment
With the new year coming, it is a great reminder to perform cyber risk assessments with clients. With the constant change in technology, an annual assessment is a great idea. What’s more, the external threat landscape is also continuously changing. New threats emerge and cybercriminals continue to innovate as we have seen play out in 2022.
Clients should be encouraged to leverage a third party for cyber risk assessments. Many MSPs like Reis Informatica are experts in delivering this form of audit and assessment. Schedule your complimentary cyber risk assessment here.
Resolutions are nothing if you can’t achieve them.
When managing your cyber security managed services feels overwhelming, Reis is there. With Reis Informatica, you can plan a bold and secure future — your IT and cyber security systems are in capable hands. That’s our promise to you. Secure. Reliable and Available.
Book your complimentary consultation today and get a head-start against the competition. Grow your business with peace of mind.
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