Every business owner should be concerned about cybersecurity. As many as 43% of cyber attacks are aimed at small businesses, CNBC reports. And, 60% of those small businesses end up going out of business within six months of being targeted. Additionally, ransomware attacks on businesses are continuing to increase with total damage costs expected to reach more than $265 billion globally by 2031. Fortunately, there are a number of proven methods businesses can implement to improve cybersecurity and protect themselves from both hackers and financial loss.
Use a business virtual private network (VPN)
An estimated 400 million businesses worldwide use business VPNs with this figure increasing by as much as 150% in response to the recent work-from-home boom. With a business VPN, security can easily be strengthened for remote or traveling employees — no large investment in data center-grade routing hardware needed. With an affordable business VPN service deployed to your employee’s devices, you can create a secure connection no matter where they log in from. Private employee or business data is therefore protected. If, on the other hand, you don’t use a business VPN, your employees are forced to use the public internet to connect to the company’s internal network, therefore leaving their web traffic vulnerable to attack and cyberthreats.
Prevent common governance issues
Many businesses use application suites or software suites like Office 365 to enable employees to form groups, stay connected and collaborate, and complete projects more efficiently throughout the day. However, after the work’s completed and a group’s no longer in use, potentially important information contained within the group may be left to linger with no clear idea of what should be done with it. Fortunately, advanced analytics software can provide you with a way to
track governance issues and prevent problems arising. For example, team owners will automatically be emailed and asked to delete or archive inactive groups.
Use embedded hardware authentication
While passwords and PINs have traditionally been used to secure hardware devices, advances in technology are now making these steps obsolete. For instance, the new Sixth-generation vPro Chips (designed by Intel) are tiny chips that can easily be embedded into hardware devices in order to authenticate the identity of users. This revolutionary authentication technology works by employing a minimum of three verification factors at the same time, including: “something you have” like your mobile phone; “something you know” like your unique identification number; and “something you are”, which means your fingerprints. Intel’s Sixth-generation vPro Chips are compatible with a range of devices and allow businesses to choose from several reliable authentication factors ultimately based on company policies (meaning the need for employees to solely remember passwords is eliminated).
Cybersecurity is a key priority for all businesses to help prevent a range of cybercrime, including hacking, data breaches, and malware. By using business VPNs, preventing common governance issues, and using embedded hardware authentication, businesses can more easily stay safe and protected.
