“Only the paranoid survive,” said Andy Grove, Intel’s former Chairman. This is especially true in this internet age when data is the most valuable currency around and when internet security is still an underrated topic. No matter how big or small a business is, internet security should be a top priority.
If you’re looking to score points with your boss, or if you simply want a more secure online environment for your workplace, here are 5 internet security tips you can bring up with your boss.
1. Train Employees to Practice Secure Internet Conduct
Viruses and malware don’t just appear out of thin air. For these to get into your system and wreak havoc, they’ll need to be given access (albeit unwittingly) by your fellow employees. Explain to your boss that training employees is one of the most effective ways to keep business data secure.
For big companies, hiring an internet security expert to create and conduct training modules specialized to all your departments is the easiest fix. For smaller business, there are many free training resources online. Some of these resources are listed in this MS-ISAC website. To get your company started though, here are few basic internet security practices:
Keep a clean machine. Establish strict protocols involving installing external software on work computers that could potentially jeopardize your system.
Create better passwords. Our lives are so interlinked with the internet that many of us have so many passwords to keep track of. This leads to laziness when creating passwords. But any kind of laziness in the workplace should not be tolerated. Check out this Microsoft guideline to creating passwords that will stump a hacker, but will still be easy for users to remember.
If it looks suspicious, junk it. No matter where or from whom it comes from (email, social media, ads, etc.) if a link or attachment looks suspicious, all employees should trash it.
2. Regularly Update and Patch Websites and Servers
To make sure that your company’s website and servers are secure, suggest to your boss that you need to have a strict schedule for updating and patching them. If your company uses a content management system (e.g. WordPress) or an e-commerce platform (e.g. Shopify), know that hackers love attacking plug-ins in these systems.
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