Today’s networks look a lot different than those of just 15 years ago. Framingham businesses, as well as those throughout Massachusetts, used to have just their office workstations to worry about, because that’s the only thing at their business connected to the internet.
A basic firewall and antivirus were typically enough back then to protect devices, but not any longer.
Today’s networks include multiple endpoints, and computers are only a portion of them, and not even the majority. Mobile devices make up about 60% of a network’s endpoints, then there are IoT devices such as smart security cameras, and more.
Networks have also expanded past a single location. This means that network security also needs to expand business IT solutions so they cover employees working from home and working while mobile.
A third factor that has complicated network and device security and necessitated the need for multi-layered solutions is the increasingly sophisticated attacks.
Cyber attacks include things like Zero-day malware and fileless attacks that are designed to get past simple antivirus programs. If you want to keep your data and devices secure, your business needs to be using multiple protective solutions that all work together.
IT Security Protections Every Office Needs to Have
2020 saw an increase in cyber attacks across all vectors, with criminals taking advantage of the disruption of the pandemic. For example, in the first half of 2020, IoT device attack volume increased by 35%.
Following, are several of the security protections that every business needs to have to ensure data and devices are protected. These represent some, but not all of what you need, because this article is only so long and only so detailed.
To get a full assessment of your needs, contact Pro Tech Guy for a security assessment.
Next-Gen AI Antivirus
Next-gen AI antivirus/anti-malware programs are much more sophisticated than older antivirus apps that only match incoming attachments against a known database of threats.
Most threats are now “Zero-day,” which means they’re so new, they haven’t been cataloged yet.
Using artificial intelligence, next-gen antivirus applications are able to look for suspicious file and system behaviors that indicate a potential threat. They’re also able to respond to those threats without user intervention, to ensure they’re quarantined before being able to cause issues.
Network Security (VLANS)
Network security such as segregated networks with VLANs and secure guest Wi-Fi help you keep sensitive traffic siloed and better protected.
For example, you can put less secure IoT devices on their own network, away from computers and servers. This limits the damage that can be done if that network is breached and keeps someone hacking into a smart security cam from being able to access more sensitive data.
Secure Email & Computer Passwords
Password security and access management is another important protection, especially in today’s cloud-based business world. 77% of cloud security breaches are due to hacked login credentials.
Access security includes protections like:
- Implementing multi-factor authentication
- Password managers
- Single sign-on (SSO) tools
- Location-based authentication
DNS Filtering
A majority of phishing emails now use links to malicious sites rather than file attachments. To protect users from being infected by a drive-by-download of malware after visiting an email link, you need to have DNS filtering in place.
DNS filtering checks URLs before directing the user’s browser to them, blocking malicious sites to help defend against phishing attacks of this kind.
Full Software Updates for 3rd Party Software & Windows
Many data breaches and malware infections are due to unpatched system vulnerabilities. It’s important to have an automated patch and update management system in place through managed IT services.
This keeps all your software and Windows operating system updated and protected. It also solves the problem with users putting off updates because they don’t want to stop what they’re doing, leaving your network vulnerable.
Secure Backups
Data loss can occur from any number of events. These include a hard drive crash, user errors (overwriting or deletion), ransomware, or something else.
It’s important to ensure your business is resilient and can recover quickly in the event of any type of data loss incident. This means having a secure backup and recovery system in place for all your business data.
Today, data is in multiple places, so you want to make sure you’re backing up all of these and using a managed cloud backup that ensures everything is backed up without incident.
Some of the data types you should include in your backup strategy include:
- Computers
- Servers
- Mobile devices
- Cloud applications (Microsoft 365, etc.)
Cover Your Bases With Cloud Care Pro™
Cloud Care Pro™ from Pro Tech Guy can help your Framingham area business with multiple layers that you need to keep your business protected from data disasters and breaches.
Contact us today for an IT consultation. Call 508-364-8189 or reach us online.