Are You Sure You’re Protected?

Cybercrime isn’t going away, and in fact it’s increasing each year by thousands of reports. In the 2012 Security Threat Report by SOPHOS, the company urges all small companies and individuals to step up their game, saying that we “need to be ready for attacks on new platforms and devices—all the places we use data for work and our personal lives,” and that “cybercriminals are becoming more professionalized through the availability of commercial crimeware kits… the result is mass generation of new malicious code and exploits, and a significant increase in the volume of malware.”

Securing your company’s data absolutely needs to be a priority, and it needs to be more than just your tech team working hard. Everyone in your organization should be putting their best foot forward and keep essential data safe and private.

Start with Digital Communications

Though email has come a long way, it’s still a vulnerable spot in many companies defenses. People often pass around private information via email, and there’s not a whole lot of ways to secure the data sent. However, there have been technological breakthroughs that scan for a variety of things before an email is sent. For example, there are several software programs available that not only scan for potential intellectual property problems, but also encrypt each email sent with firewalls and other filtering methods.

Having control over office communications is essential if you want to keep the people who mean to do you harm at arm’s length.

Educate Your Employees

Don’t leave your team in the dark. Everyone should be on the same page when it comes to knowing the security risks associated with sending digital correspondence without the proper security measures. You should also make them aware of phishing scams, known hacking websites, and the dangers of having digital social media profiles with too much information.

Since the dangers change on a weekly basis, it’s important that your managers keep your team updated on a monthly basis. Hold an hour meeting on the first of each month to discuss new threats and the do’s and don’ts of the Internet and technology.