In 2017, IBM’s chairman, president, and CEO, Ginni Rometty, said: “Cybercrime is the greatest
threat to every company in the world.” And she is right. To avoid your company becoming a
victim, it is imperative to adopt a security-driven culture. Below are a few guidelines to do just
that.
Cyber Education:
The first firewall, is the human firewall. Training your employees on how to be smart when
online is very important. Develop a security policy, emphasizing the importance of cyber
security. Advise your employees never to download anything that is suspect. They should also
know what to do if they receive an unsolicited email and they should NEVER click a link or
open an attachment if they don’t know the sender.
Password Management:
Two of the most common passwords used are “123456” and “password.” Easy to remember
but just as easy for a hacker to access your computer. Review with your employees password
guidelines to help secure their account credentials and protect your company’s information.
- Passwords should be a minimum of 12 characters. The more characters, the more secure the
password.
- Never use names, places, dictionary words or a combination of these.
- Use a mixture of numbers, symbols, upper and lower case letters.
- Each application or system should have their own unique password.
- Change your password every 3 to 6 months.
- Never write your passwords down or save them to a shared computer.
Network Security:
Be sure that your firewall is programmed properly. A firewall is a network device which blocks
unauthorized incoming traffic from accessing internal networks and bars outgoing traffic from
accessing unauthorized external networks (such as social media sites). This procedure isolates
your computers from external threats. Your network administrator can customize your firewall
specifically to your company’s needs.
Computer Security:
Keep antivirus and operating system software up to date. When you receive a security or
software update notification for your computer, it’s critical that you take the time to perform the
update. Many updates are sent to protect your system(s) from malicious attacks.
Backup & Disaster Recovery:
The Red Cross estimates that 40% of business shut down by a natural disaster never reopen.
Why? The top two reasons are (1) the company has no disaster plan in place and (2) there is no
data backup plan. It is important to prepare your company for the worse case scenario and to
ensure that the impact from the most severe failure, can result in minimal disruption.
Whether you already have a cyber security policy and are looking for training for your staff or
you need assistance with developing your cyber security plans, CTI can help. CTI’s engineers
can also provide disaster recovery planning specific to your industry and needs.
Call CTI today
at 315-733-0854 for more information.