6 ways to boost your organization’s IT security

Security has always been a top priority for IT departments. But, with attacks becoming more sophisticated, resulting in an increase in cybersecurity nightmares for organizations, getting on top of security is more important than ever. In this blog, we show you 6 ways to boost your organization’s IT security.

1. Get BYOD under control

The rise of hybrid working means that more employees are opting to use their personal devices, such as laptops and phones, for work. For your colleagues, this means more freedom and flexibility. But, for IT departments, unsecured personal devices are a potential security disaster waiting to happen.

The solution? Unclear expectations are the enemy of IT security. So, to ensure that ‘bring your own device’ (BYOD) doesn’t get out of hand at your organization, start by making sure that employees know what’s expected of them. What kinds of mobile devices (if any) can be used for work? Are employees allowed to download new software onto these devices? These kinds of boundaries should be clear to all employees before they think about working with a personal device.

2. Use multi-factor authentication

Of course, you’re already using passwords to protect your organization’s networks. But password security is about more than just a combination of letters and numbers.

Think about enforcing multi-factor authentication, which means users need to verify their identity at least one other way, such as via a code sent to their mobile phone. After all, attackers can’t access your organization’s data if they can’t get into your company network.

IT security isn't just a job for IT. To keep your data safe and sound, it's crucial to build a culture of cybersecurity awareness within your organization.

3. Make sure employees are security-savvy

We’ve said it before, and we’ll say it again: IT security isn’t just a job for IT. In order to keep your company’s sensitive data safe and sound, it’s crucial to build a culture of cybersecurity awareness within your organization. Studies show that 95% of cybersecurity breaches can be traced back to human error, so the stakes are pretty high. Educate employees on best practices, what to look out for, and what they should do if they think there’s been a potential breach.

Are your colleagues already clued-up on the basics? Make sure they’re also knowledgeable about specific threats and how they could potentially impact the business. Would your colleagues know how to identify a personalized ‘spear-phishing’ email, for instance?

It’s not just IT departments who need to be proactive and vigilant when it comes to cyberattacks – employees do, too.

Find out how hybrid working has changed the face of IT security.

4. Shed some light on shadow IT

What is shadow IT? In short, it’s the IT that happens when the IT department isn’t looking. It’s become easier than ever for employees to access their own IT resources, without the knowledge or permission of the IT department. The problem with shadow IT is that it creates invisible risks that IT departments can’t address because they don’t know about them. It also increases the attack surface of the organization, making it more susceptible to things like data leaks.

To prevent this from happening, IT departments need to partner up with their company’s business departments to ensure that they’re investing in safe solutions, which won’t cost the organization in the long run.

5. Back it up, back it up

Ransomware is on the rise. According to IDC’s Ransomware Study, approximately 37% of global organizations were victim to a ransomware attack last year. Figuring out how to respond once an attack has taken place is no longer an option. IT departments need to be proactive about ransomware prevention – and recovery, should the worst happen.

The best way to do this? Backing up your organization’s data. By running regular backups, you’ll bypass the ransom demand by restoring data from a source other than the encrypted files. And if you want to prevent malware from encrypting backup files? Use a cloud backup to keep a copy of your files safe from ransomware and other cybersecurity threats.

6. Create a response plan

Your organization has a plan for evacuating your office building in the event of a fire. So why wouldn’t you have one for responding to a security incident? It sounds obvious, but creating a comprehensive response plan, identifying key stakeholders, and mapping out the most important processes is the best way to avoid chaos if the worst does happen. Once you’ve drafted up a plan, you can give it a test-drive and then modify it based on what worked well and what could be improved.

For some organizations, responding to a security incident will require collaboration between several departments. By ensuring that all relevant parties agree to their responsibilities in the event of a breach, well before it happens, you can save valuable time and deal with security incidents quickly and efficiently.

Find out how to improve collaboration between departments and which barriers to overcome.

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