What cybersecurity protections do you need for your business?
Unfortunately, as the cyber risks to small and mid-sized organizations increase, it seems as though the expert recommendations are that you need all the cybersecurity protections you can get. While this is true in a sense, that doesn’t mean it has to be all or nothing.
When getting started, it can be helpful to aim for the security measures that provide the best value and best protection while still being relatively low-cost and having a low impact on your resources. This way, you can maintain a level of defense against cyber threats even as you work toward more robust protection over time.
Here’s our list of a few security protections that are easy to integrate into your organization, while having little overhead for both the end-users and experts that manage them—whether that’s your IT team or a third party (like a Managed Security Service Provider).
Account Security & Best Practices
Account security is a bit more complex than just usernames and passwords, but it’s not difficult to bulk-up your protections in this area. In addition to using strong passwords in your organization, you can include Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) and the use of a designated password manager in your security policies for better account security.
You can learn more about MFA and password managers in this article.
Effective Anti-Virus
Sure, anti-virus seems like a given—but investing in the right malware prevention solution can make all the difference for your security. Legacy AV programs can be resource-intensive on endpoint devices and require constant updates to stay on top of new and advanced threats. Additionally, these programs miss at least 30% of zero-day malware strains due to their reliance on a database of “known” malware signatures. The process of creating “new” malware involves altering the file’s signature—meaning the new malware can’t be recognized or caught by traditional AV solutions that operate from a database of known signatures. Newer, more advanced AV solutions are called “Next-Generation.” These move away from the need for a signature database, looking instead at file behavior to identify threats. When your malware prevention solution is doing its best work for your organization, you can worry less about the risk of bad files getting through.
Managed Email Security
As you may know, email is one of the most common starting points for cyberattacks. Many business email platforms come with some baseline security protections that you can enable, but what if you could take it up a notch?
With a managed email security solution, you can. Features like anti-spam, anti-malware, anti-impersonation, advanced filtering, and even file and link sandboxing are all easy to incorporate into your organization’s email platform when working with an MSP or MSSP. With third-party management, your team isn’t faced with the task of configuring advanced security features or managing threats on the back end. Managed security services, like email security, are a great way to minimize the threats entering your network through the #1 attack vector for cyber criminals.
Managed Endpoint Detection & Response
Another managed service that packs a big punch with minimal effort for your organization is Endpoint Detection & Response (EDR). Managed EDR is like a security alarm system with a built-in investigation team for cyber threats. Attacks of all sizes often start at the endpoint level, on a compromised device. EDR is the “backup plan” or alarm system for when threats make it past your outer defenses, like email security or anti-virus. With an expert team managing your EDR, threats can be detected, isolated, and stopped within minutes thanks to behavioral analysis, real-time alerts, and security experts who know what to do in response to different types of cyber threats.
Security Awareness
In the end, the easiest place to start to improve your organization’s security is with yourself and your team. You may have heard the phrase “Human Firewall” in reference to phishing and web-based attacks, but employee security awareness is much broader and more impactful than safe browsing and careful clicking alone. When every member of an organization—in every department, even the CEO—is aware of cyber threats and their warning signs, security risks can more easily be avoided, identified, and stopped. Even if you’re still working to cover the 4 main steps in security with tools and technology, your people can be a vital layer of defense against cyber threats.
Need help with a security awareness training program? We’ve got you covered.
Still not sure where to start?
We’ve got your back. You don’t have to guess about what you’re missing or what to add first. Our security experts are available for free security consultations to help you determine where you’re at and where to start with building a stronger cybersecurity defense for your organization.
