In June unLTD had a chat over Zoom with Mark Booth from Exa Networks about the transition from office to remote working. Six months later, Matt Holmes grabbed another online chat with Mark and his colleague Edd Grinham to discuss cyber security, and how it has been impacted with the shift to working from home
It is probably safe to say that remote working can lead to a number of cyber security issues which can impact your business as well as your customers.
While 87 per cent of small business owners believe they are safe from being hacked, they may be unaware that online threats have increased by 37 per cent since the pandemic began.
If your business isn’t adequately set up for remote working, issues with vulnerability can quickly rear their head. Here Mark and Edd give their top tips to improve cyber security in your small business.
Cyber Security Plan
Make sure you have a cyber security plan implemented that enables employees to recognise and deal with any potential threats. If they receive an email that looks unusual, knowing what to look for is paramount to preventing an attack. This can include looking at the sender’s email address and checking it is legitimately from them.
Password Security
When it comes to passwords for business accounts, employees should use a strong, unique password coupled with some form of two-factor authentication. Having this will mean a two-stage sign-in process and gives a whole extra layer of security.
Creating Backups
Keeping your data backed-up can often be overlooked, but it really shouldn’t. We recommend the 1-2-3 method: One copy of the data kept offsite, two of the data backups on different storage types and having at least three copies of the data including the original. Any data that is stored on the cloud should be encrypted and protected from unauthorised access with passwords.
Secure Wi-Fi
If your employee uses a personal laptop for work, how safe is that device? How secure is their domestic Wi-Fi network? A weak network can lead to breaches. Even the most careful employees can be compromised if their security isn’t at the required level to prevent unwanted access.
You can protect yourself against system vulnerabilities by using a strong firewall such as our FortiGate products. These firewalls are specifically configured to prevent unauthorised access to an individual system or a network of computers.
With 60 per cent of small businesses closing within six months of suffering a significant cyber-attack, the importance of this cannot be overstated.
Find out further information on our FortiGate products on our website: exa.net.uk/services/fortinet-security
