Protect Your Data. Protect Your Reputation.

This month is Cyber Security Awareness month, and Weaver is participating with a series of blog posts and Insights documents dedicated to making the web a more secure, safe place. This is the first blog post in the series.

Maintaining secure systems, guarding against cyber security and protecting sensitive data are essential functions for any business. Below are four key, high-level steps that companies should consider taking to protect their data and reputation:

1. Take Inventory – Make a record of the data systems used and gain an understanding of where critical information is located. Then, work to ensure that there is an appropriate amount of security around those areas.
2. Password Protect – Use complex, strong passwords to help protect the network, and regularly change them. Set the system to lock out users after a certain number of failed attempts, and log all such activity.
3. Monitor – Heavy monitoring of all networks and systems is a crucial piece of security. Check who is logging in and from where, who is successfully entering and who is failing. Then set a baseline to understand any abnormalities.
4. Principle of Least Privilege – This is especially important on critical accounts and functions, ensuring that no single employee has all access. Instead, access is tailored to the job function. If there is a breach, it prevents those accounts from being abused for something they shouldn’t be used for in the first place.

These simple steps are often overlooked by many companies. There is much more that companies can do, but first take small steps to implement fundamental controls.

To learn more about protecting your data and reputation, download our full IT Insights document, How to Guard Against Cyber Security Risks.