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In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, many small and medium businesses have transitioned to remote work environments. While remote work has its benefits, but also new challenges come along with it when it comes to protection against cyber threats and securing sensitive data.  

Small and medium businesses often forget to take care of their security and issues arise. 

This is usually due to the lack of human and physical resources. Small businesses often neglect to budget for security, so they often fall victim to hackers more than medium and large businesses. 

For ensuring that your security measures are up to date, outsourcing your IT security processes to a reputable IT company can be a smart strategy especially if you go for a local IT provider. 

In this article, we will outline some best practices for securing remote work environments in small and medium businesses.

 Using a PC or laptop from work

The first step is ensuring that your employees use a PC or laptop from work because many people use their personal PC or laptop for work. It is the same device on which they are using for personal things – online shopping, downloading some media, etc. This can raise a potential risk of compromising company data. Having a separate PC or laptop for work for employees is something that your company should consider. 

 Implement Strong Password Policies

Passwords are the first line of defense when it comes to securing remote work environments. We use them in everyday life, not just on our phones and computer but as well on PINs and credit cards. Businesses should require employees to use strong, unique passwords and change them regularly. Passwords should also be kept confidential and not shared with anyone, including colleagues. For a password, it is recommended to contain at least 12 characters combined with numbers, letters, and symbols.

 Use Multi-factor authentication

Multi-factor authentication adds an extra layer of security to the login process by requiring users to provide two forms of identification. This can be a password and a security token or biometric verification. Multi-factor authentication helps prevent unauthorized access to company systems and data.

 Secure Remote Access

The connection between the home and the office can be made via the VPN (Virtual Private Network). It is a service that gives an employee access to corporate data in a secure way. Businesses should also ensure that remote access is only granted to authorized employees and that access is monitored and audited.

Keep Software and Systems Up to Date

 Outdated software and systems can contain vulnerabilities that can be exploited by cyber attackers. To minimize this risk, businesses should keep all software and systems up to date with the latest security patches and updates.

Server security patching is a tool that makes sure that the server gets the latest updates and that the update is checked and running. All applications (software) stored on a server can be vulnerable to malicious attacks. The objective of server security patching is to fix software vulnerabilities by ensuring that everything is installed on the computer systems.

Desktop security patching – Although patches are provided by software developers, users typically postpone updates on their computers. Companies put their trust in IT partners that can check these updates on a regular basis so that the user does not have to do anything. Their only “job” is to restart the machine so that the patches are applied. Even if they are asked to install updates, in some cases they postpone it. They do not understand the importance of it and how that can affect the company.

Educate Employees

Employees are often the weakest link when it comes to cybersecurity. Businesses should educate their employees on best practices for securing remote work environments, including the importance of strong passwords, two-factor authentication, and secure remote access. Since some malicious attempts go through your employees, they should also be trained to recognize and report potential cyber threats, such as phishing emails and suspicious activity. This is why training is so important. 

Security awareness training can make sure that employees understand and be aware of cyber threats. Onboarding programs and annual training can make a big difference in a company’s remote working cybersecurity. 

After security awareness training employees should be able to protect themselves and others around them. 

The importance of educating employees about IT security is not something that needs to be neglected. To prevent these threats companies should work closely with IT consultancy partners which can provide security awareness training.

 Implement Access Controls

Access controls can help limit the risk of unauthorized access to sensitive data. Businesses should implement access controls that limit access to sensitive data to only those employees who need it to perform their jobs.

 Have a Data Backup Plan

Data loss can be catastrophic for businesses, especially if it includes sensitive data. Businesses should have a data backup plan in place to ensure that important data is backed up regularly and can be restored in the event of a data loss incident.

 Monitor and Audit Activity

Businesses should monitor and audit activity on their systems and networks to detect potential security incidents. This can include monitoring for unusual activities, such as failed login attempts, and auditing access logs to identify potential unauthorized access.

In conclusion, securing remote work environments in small and medium businesses is a critical component of cybersecurity. By implementing these best practices, businesses can help protect their sensitive data and reduce the risk of cyber threats. With the right policies and tools in place, remote work can be a safe and productive way to operate for businesses of all sizes. 

Whether you are a small or medium-sized business, taking proactive steps toward IT security is crucial to a remote work environment. To ensure that their systems remain secure, companies can partner with IT security experts who can provide a safe working environment, and monitor and prevent potential breaches from occurring.

Featured image by Surface on Unsplash

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The digital information era has seen exponential growth in the quantity of data being collected, and with large amounts of data distributed across organizations, both internal and external, there is a significant risk of loss or theft. In recent years, many businesses have become aware of the potential consequences of losing their data, including serious consequences for their brand reputation and financial losses that can last for a long time.

Unprotected data can lead to data breaches, which can damage a company’s reputation and lead to financial losses, but also significant damage to a company’s reputation and customer trust. In the event of a data breach, customers may be hesitant to continue doing business with a company and may even choose to take their business elsewhere. This can be particularly damaging for companies that rely heavily on customer data for their marketing efforts, such as those in the e-commerce or online advertising sectors.

 Therefore, it is important to properly protect both your own and your customer’s data. As brand reputation is a key aspect of marketing, data security is closely related to marketing and should be given the attention it deserves.

Prevention from Online Data Breaches

Preventing online data breaches is a critical aspect of data protection for companies, as a data breach can have significant consequences for a company’s reputation and financial well-being. The impact of a data breach on a company’s marketing efforts can be significant and long-lasting, as customers may lose trust in the company and choose to take their business elsewhere.

Companies share their confidential data with trusted brands, and it is the responsibility of these brands to keep that data safe. Cyberattacks are on the rise, and the best way to protect a company’s reputation from intruders is by outsourcing to IT security companies that have expertise in this area.

 Outsourcing IT security to specialized companies is the best solution as they are trained to deal with online threats. IT support partners can help secure critical access points and protect the business from potential attacks. It can provide a wide range of services to protect a company’s network and data like monitoring for suspicious activity, and providing incident response and recovery services in the event of a breach.

Email Protection  

Any business with an online presence understands the importance of email marketing as emails are often the primary channel of communication between companies, customers, and leads, with a large amount of data stored in them. Neglecting the level of IT security for email accounts can have serious consequences as these accounts are used by companies to exchange important data, both internally and externally.

The most common email threats include phishing, spam, and ransomware. 

• Phishing involves attempting to steal information by sending links through email that lead to web pages where the recipient is asked to enter their information or links that lead to pages with viruses or attachments with malware. 
• Spam emails may not always be dangerous, but receiving a large volume of them can be frustrating and can distract from tasks. 
• Ransomware is a type of malware that infiltrates a network through malicious links and locks data, requiring a ransom to unlock it.

To prevent these threats, marketing departments within companies should work closely with IT partners. Email protection is crucial and can be achieved through the use of mail filters, which can provide backup, mail licenses, multifactor authentication, anti-virus, anti-spam, and anti-phishing filters. With this kind of security, all incoming emails can be identified and evaluated for potentially malicious content.  

Brand Reputation and Data Safety 

Another important aspect of data protection for companies is being transparent about their efforts to protect customer data. This includes being open and honest about data breaches when they occur, and providing clear and concise information about the measures a company takes to protect customer data. By building trust with customers, a company can establish itself as a responsible and reliable business, which can help to boost its reputation and attract new customers.

Maintaining customer trust is crucial for a brand’s reputation, which is an important aspect of marketing. Trust is earned through transparency and ensuring the safety of customer data. 

As cyber threats continue to increase, it is essential for a brand’s reputation to prioritize cyber security. Companies are responsible for protecting their customers’ data and should be transparent about their efforts to do so. 

Customers today expect businesses to keep their data private and secure, and building trust with customers is the foundation for all marketing efforts. A strong online reputation is a powerful marketing tool. 

Understanding the consequences of a data breach is the first step toward protecting confidential data. It is important to create an action plan to address potential threats and safeguard customer information.

Crisis Management 

Proactive planning and strategy development are important roles for marketing teams in the event of a crisis. An effective strategy can minimize the damage a cyberattack can do to a company’s reputation. 

To mitigate these risks, companies must take a proactive approach to data protection. This includes implementing strict data protection policies and procedures, training employees on how to identify and prevent data breaches, and outsourcing IT support and security to specialized companies that have expertise in this area. Additionally, companies should invest in advanced security technologies such as encryption, intrusion detection and response systems, and incident response plans. For better encryption, a company should purchase an SSL certificate & install it on the website to make data transition smooth and secure. Strong encryption saves data from prying eyes.

Marketing executives can ensure that their marketing strategies align with data regulations and customer expectations by collaborating with IT. This partnership can help mitigate the potential impact of a crisis on the company’s reputation and brand image.

Solutions  

As mentioned before, the marketing department should work closely with IT to ensure the security and accuracy of data provided to analytics solutions. The integrity and quality of data impact the success of digital marketing and the overall success of the company.

Data protection is an essential aspect of marketing in today’s digital age. Companies that prioritize data protection and take a proactive approach to secure customer data will be better equipped to protect their reputation, build customer trust, and achieve long-term success.

It is important for the marketing team to regularly update IT partners on the results of campaigns and for IT to ensure the security of collected data and mitigate potential risks that could damage the brand’s reputation. The marketing team should use tools that provide data visibility, management, and reporting, while IT should focus on securing the data and eliminating potential threats.

The post How Data Protection Affects your Company’s Marketing appeared first on noupe.