Michelle Drolet is CEO of Framingham IT services firm Towerwall. Reach her at michelled@towerwall.com or (774) 204-0700.
Updated: March 21, 2022
10 Things
10 Things I know about ... Securing your business
By Michelle Drolet
10) Cyberattacks can severely damage your business. 60% of small and midsized businesses shut down within six months of an attack. Customers want to patronize businesses they trust to protect personal data.
9) Start with a cybersecurity plan. How much risk will you tolerate? Risk management is about prioritizing risks; document and communicate risks to all stakeholders to gain buy-in and raise awareness. Building a security playbook is essential.
8) Invest in user awareness training. Cybersecurity is the responsibility of everyone, not just the IT team. Invest in refresher training to remind users of email-phishing fraud. Use phishing simulation tools to raise awareness.
7) Secure IT infrastructure. Maintain an inventory of every network device, user, and application. Automation tools exist to help manage. Perform regular updates.
6) Use threat detection and vulnerability management strategies. Perform regular scans of your infrastructure for weak applications and devices. Plug these vulnerabilities ASAP.
5) Protect your perimeter. Deploy firewalls and intrusion detection to safeguard internal networks and monitor activity. Prevent any direct connections to your own network. Filter out unwanted applications and websites.
4) Deploy zero-day protection. Secure your endpoints and servers. Run scans to check for malware. Extend protection to all removable and mobile devices.
3) Tighten your grip on sensitive data. Review user accounts from creation to modification and deletion. Limit privileged access to select users.
2) Extend security policy for home. Work from home exposes organizations to risk. Train users on using mobile devices securely. List acceptable use of device types, information types, applications, encryption, and incident reporting in your security policy.
1) Establish an incident response plan. Conduct regular tabletop exercises to test your plan and know when to escalate.
WBJ Web Partners
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