By Jon Thorpe
Managing Director
ACS
NO business is immune to a cyber attack or data breach – this phrase unfortunately holds very true in this day and age.
However, a lot of small businesses underestimate the importance of cyber security and even after facing cyber attacks, are displaying a surprising lack of interest in upgrading or implementing cyber security.
Everyone is a target, which makes the implementation of cyber security vital, and preparing for such attacks is the key to survival in this technological world.
As well as implementing IT solutions ACS can provide, there are also four methods ACS recommend you use to fortify your business from a cyber security standpoint.
Run a Cyber Security Risk Assessment
This is essential for every business. Here are the core concepts:
* Take stock of the system
* Look at potential threats
* Analyse the environment
* Likelihood of breach types and their possible points of origin
* Final risk assessment.
Create a Document Management Plan
Most of the data breaches happen due to human error, such as if a document is sent to the wrong inbox or to a phishing email ID, so it is necessary to create a document management plan to help catch errors before they occur. Common components of a document management plan include:
* Building an inventory of all the currently existing records
* Assign a record management process to a single employee
* Develop a record retention and destruction schedule
* Evaluation and determination of the best methods to manage records
* Create, document and establish company procedures for storage and disposal of records
* Create a backup disaster recovery plan to minimise the damage
* Maintain, audit and optimise prevention and recovery plans to maximise efficiency and effectiveness.
Educate Your Employees
Employees should be educated about document management. If observed carefully, employees most of the time handle and send sensitive data without thinking about cyber security. A potential solution here is implementing a mandatory compliance training program.
Have a Recovery Plan
To minimise the risk of a cyber-attack, ACS recommend you change your passwords consistently, look out for phishing emails and monitor your company financial accounts carefully.
Apart from a backup plan, recovery plans are equally essential since you do not want to leave your customers waiting for your products and services. Reducing downtime during recovery is necessary, so ensure that you are planning accordingly.
Call the acs team on 01604 704000 for further advice