Effective corporate cybersecurity has always been a crucial component for any corporation. It has become even more critical in this digital age where corporations are experiencing a digital transformation as remote work and cloud computing become commonplace in organisations. As more corporations adapt to the digital age of working and storing data online, IT systems, networks, and data become vulnerable to cybersecurity threats designed to harm company operations, inflict losses and damage an organization’s reputation.
Today, internet-connected company systems and web apps that are not well protected have become common targets for cybercrime, especially now that more companies are adapting to a remote workforce. In 2020, a survey on 520 security professionals showed that 60% of these professionals reported increased cybercrime amongst companies. Cybersecurity vendors have spotted an increase in network intrusion attempts over the last year.
To ensure added protection for company data and networks, most companies have increased their cybersecurity. Here is a comprehensive guide on how to boost corporate cybersecurity in 2021.
Cybersecurity best practices for corporates
Network segmentation
Part of protecting a company’s cyberspace is ensuring that information in the network is accessible on a need-to-know basis. Network segmentation is simply creating multiple segments in your company network for different employees with different access requirements. This is an effective means of deterring a hacker’s efforts to access all your company data, even from a compromised endpoint.
You can make use of the current infrastructure you have in place to establish different segments in your network with access control such as IP filtering, internal firewalling, and VLANs.
Internet access security
With the rise of remote working, it has become a challenge for most companies to secure remote worker connections. Hackers take advantage of this fact by attacking Wi-Fi networks to gain access to endpoints and the company network.
The best way to enhance your internet security is to train employees on internet hygiene and the dangers of using public Wi-Fi networks while accessing the company network. If they must use public Wi-Fi, they should use VPNs for added security as part of your company’s restricted internet use policy. It is also important to check web and incoming and outgoing emails for harmful content.
Ensure endpoint protection
A network endpoint is any computer, mobile device, laptop, or tablet used to access a company’s network through an end-user who can be an employee.
Network endpoints are the most commonly used points of entry to a company network by cybercriminals. A hacker gains easy access to your company’s network, cloud, and data with a successful entry into an endpoint. To minimize unauthorized endpoint access, check which antivirus you should use to guarantee endpoint security for your network. The best anti-malware programs can be used to protect your endpoints. These detect, block, and stop a hacker’s malicious attempt to access your company network.
Get an all-rounded firewall solution for your network
The firewall on your network is the epicenter for data flow and coverage, making it an essential component for your IT network. It requires to be constantly monitored for efficiency and security. To determine whether your firewall is effective, check:
- Its effectiveness in monitoring incoming and outgoing traffic on your network
- Its effectiveness in prevent virus intrusions and other threats
- Its ability to manage bandwidth to ensure high-speed network performance
- Its ability to weed out bad users as part of its identity and access management.
As cyberattacks become more innovative, it is important to ensure that your firewall has every entry point covered. Through regular configuration and maintenance, you can ensure that your firewall is always at its best performance.
Plan for disaster recovery and business continuity
Even with the best cyber safety protocols, it is impossible to be 100% protected from all cyber threats. This calls for the need to have a disaster recovery and business continuity plan in the event of an attack. It is advisable to perform a business continuity assessment on a company to help cybersecurity professionals identify potential risk areas that can affect business continuity in the event of a breach. It is also important to put in place an automated restoration strategy where your data is backed up regularly.
Keep your operating system and software programs updated
With Microsoft no longer support Windows 7, any company computer running this outdated operating system is at risk of hacking since there will be no more security patch releases to this version. Even with a switch to the latest operating system version, it is important to ensure that you install updates as soon as they are made available.
As cybersecurity trends evolve, corporates must take time to adapt to emerging trends. This is the best way to guarantee ever-improving security for your company network.
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