Monday, October 31, 2016

Another Opportunity to Strengthen Your Defenses – Cyber Security Awareness Month

National Cyber Security Awareness Month
October has become National Cyber Security Awareness month and while you should be constantly thinking about your network and system security, the reality is we get busy with other things and tend to push security to the back burner.  

You need to take a proactive approach with your security otherwise you will be vulnerable to attacks…there is no way to just set it and forget it.  Install an enterprise grade antivirus and anti-malware software and monitor it at least weekly to ensure it’s working properly and receiving virus definition updates.  Check your computer weekly for any software updates and security patches that are available. Even if you set your computer to automatically update there is no guarantee it will happen.  If one update has a problem while installing, it could stop any future updates leaving your system vulnerable. 

Here are some tips from the Department of Homeland Security that will help protect your business from the cyber threats we are facing today:
  1. Make sure all of your organization’s computers are equipped with antivirus software and antispyware. This software should be updated regularly.
  2. Secure your Internet connection by using a firewall, encrypt information, and hide your Wi- Fi network.
  3. Establish security practices and policies to protect sensitive information.
  4. Educate employees about cyber threats and how to protect your organization’s data. Hold employees accountable to the Internet security policies and procedures.
  5. Require employees to use strong passwords and to change them often.
  6. Invest in data loss protection software, use encryption technologies to protect data in transit, and use two-factor authentication where possible.
  7. Protect all pages on your public-facing websites, not just the checkout and sign-up pages.


Developing and implementing a good security plan for your business is critical to the protection of your systems and data.  Contact us today and we’ll help you develop a security plan that works for your business, is simple to understand and implement, and is cost effective.