This world has come a long way in terms of technological advances. Our lives are made easier having the world at our fingertips, with just the touch of a button. However, it also puts businesses at many risks. Email invasion, data theft, and other privacy breaches can cause a whole new assortment of threats to your company; hence, the importance of proper security measures.You may have implemented very strong passwords; nevertheless hackers can still manage to get past those, by taking control of other computers.
The good news is that this can be fixed. The biggest problem is with people using “too obvious” passwords like 12345, monkey, birth years (1984), or other common catches. Protecting your computer system is the first step in guarding against business security threats—install regular updates, using secure passwords and changing them often enough. Employing a locksmith service can help with the installation of most business security systems (yes, they can do much more than just helping out with a car lockout).
Potential Dangers in the Technology World
It’s almost impossible for one to do without technology and no business can operate successfully without it. However, it’s unacceptable to allow risks to take precedence when conducting a business. Here are a few areas to access for potential security breaches.
- Mobile Devices
The use of tablets, cell phones, and other high-tech mobile devices has become increasingly popular, and because of this dependence many business owners have forgotten barriers. Not only do they spend private time on these devices, but company data is managed on them as well. A recent study concluded that mobile security breaches have affected more than 60% of organizations worldwide in the past year.
Yes, mobile devices are responsible for a variety of security risks. Another major problem has to do with employees storing sensitive data or company information on these devices. When a phone is lost or drops out on the subway or in a public passenger vehicle, that private information may fall in the wrong hands (maybe a scam artist or competitor).
Malware is another unknowingly installed threat to mobile devices. If given access to a company network, it may open the network invasion and take out data, despite the installed levels of security. The malware can come from any phishing email or app, and often go undetected by the mobile user.
- The Cloud
This is another popular trend in businesses today;however, many are not aware of the possible risks and dangers of the cloud system. This system requires similar kinds of encryption and security barriers like that of traditional servers. Most users are not conscious of this as they do not know much about the cloud, and that’s exactly what hackers desire—the ability to hack a system that most individuals have very little knowledge about.
Safety Solutions
With all the threatening security dangers lurking around businesses, there are a few things that can be done to prevent them.
- Email encryption
This is one of the most important steps to prevent email hacking. Whether it’s a private email service, or local usage such as Gmail, email encryption is necessary. If working with a private email company, ask about the possible offered security features.
- Secure Password
This may seem odd, but employees don’t change passwords as often as they should. Some companies have a policy on how often a password should be changed;however, it does not indicate the security level of those passwords.Business passwords should never be common, written in common letters, or easy to unscramble.
In any case, preventing a business from cyber attacks and security threats is solely left up to the management and the level of security they employ. Simple tactics such as changing passwords often, using words that are difficult to unscramble, and avoid storing and exposing sensitive data on mobile devices, are effective (yet simple) ways to prevent a business from getting hacked.
Kidal Delonix is a contributor to Mr. Hoffman's blog. The views and opinions are entirely his/her own and may not reflect Mr Hoffman's views.
