It is no secret that business of all sizes are targets of sophisticated cyber-attacks. When an organisation experiences a cyber-attack, it sends out shock waves. For some it is a wake-up call to ensure they have the best protection against such attacks. Investing in cybersecurity tends to be something most good organisations want to do but have no idea how to do it.

Anyone in your business can mistakenly click on a wrong link, receive an email that they believe is from a customer and act on it or use a password that is very easily identified. Phishing emails are getting more sophisticated and cleverer in their approach. When we set up passwords, we tend to use the same password for everything. Time and time again we click on a link that we do question but click to see how far we can go, until it is too late. Threat actors take advantage of the fact that we are busy and that we won’t take the time to inspect a malicious link.

Each of the solutions below can easily be applied to your current IT infrastructure to add to the layered defence principal. Making cybersecurity a priority may seem like a challenge and seem costly, but it is an important investment to protect your organisation. It is difficult to implement all 6 recommendations at once, therefore we can work with you on a cybersecurity strategy.

Firewall

A Firewall is a must have for every business and should be the number one priority to protect your business. A firewall monitors all incoming and outgoing network traffic through a network security device. The firewall device has a defined set of security rules that decides whether to allow or block specific traffic.

Firewalls have been a first line of defence in network security for over 25 years. Think of a Firewall as a moat around your castle, a barrier between secured and controlled internal networks that can be trusted and untrusted outside networks, such as the Internet. 

MFA – Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)

MFA helps to address the vulnerabilities of a standard password-only approach.  It adds another layer of security, supplementing the username and password model with a code that only a specific user has access to which is typically sent to those individuals mobile via text or through the authenticator app on their phone. The solution means that when users are logging in, they will be protected by the additional verification required. In the event a laptop being stolen, an unauthorised user would not be able to log in and access the data without also having the authorised user’s mobile phone. Many of us are familiar with this two-step authentication as we use if for banking and other online activities. 

MFA is like giving your name to a security guard at the entrance to gain access. The security guard needs to make sure it is you so will send you a code to your mobile or email address to ensure it is you.

 ESET Antivirus

Antivirus software is an individual program, or a suite of programs, designed to protect users of computers and other electronic devices from potentially harmful viruses, malware, and other cyber threats. ESET antivirus software runs in the background on your device and completes a scheduled scan to detect any malicious or threatening behaviour that could be a form of malware and removes it from your device as quickly as possible, while working to prevent any future attacks.

Skykick

Skykick is a Microsoft 365 backup solution for key productivity assets including, Exchange Online, SharePoint and OneDrive and the collaboration tools such as Microsoft 365 Groups and Microsoft Teams. Most companies do not back up their Office 365 environment as they think that Microsoft is responsible for that. Microsoft does not keep your Office 365 data forever and there is a limited retention period for the different applications data. Skykick is a full cloud-to-cloud solution built exclusively on industry-leading public cloud provider Microsoft. SkyKick Cloud Backup operates adjacently, but distinctly from a Microsoft 365 subscription. 

Barracuda Email Protection

Barracuda focuses on email security based in the cloud. Barracuda is a spam, malware, and advanced threat protection, including ransomware and zero-day attacks. The Barracuda Email Security Service web interface creates a message log that is sent to the user to notify them of the email being quarantined in the event of the detection of potential threats. The user can then decide if they want to access the email. Barracuda email security gateway offers encryption features to ensure no external person can view sensitive business information. 

Umbrella

We are moving more and more towards cloud which will require a high level of protection. Cisco Umbrella provides internet protection across all network devices, office locations, and roaming users. Internet activity is logged and categorized by the type of security threat or web content, and whether it was blocked or allowed.

Cisco Umbrella offers flexible, cloud-delivered security. It combines multiple security functions into one solution, so you can extend data protection to devices, remote users, and distributed locations anywhere. Umbrella is the easiest way to effectively protect your users everywhere in minutes. Umbrella protects when both on or off the network and importantly has no impact on your device performance.

If you would like to discuss any of the above solutions and how they can protect your business from threats with one of our specialists, please click the below button: