Protect Your Business Online - National Cyber Security Awareness Month

October is National Cyber Security Awareness Month. Our lives are driven by digital technologies, and there is no better time than now to ensure employees at your business are staying safe and being responsible while using the internet. More than ever, there is less separation between work and daily lives, which makes it important that everyone have shared responsibility in making smart decisions in the cyber world.

Take the following steps to identify and protect your business:

Keep A Clean Machine (this includes mobile phones, point of sale systems & tablets!) – Having the latest security software, web browser, apps and operating system is the best defense against viruses, malware and other online threats.
Lock Down Your Login – Enable the strongest authentication tools available for your online business accounts, such as biometrics or a unique one-time code through an app on your mobile device. Require employees to change their passwords often.
Back It Up – Put in a place a system – either in the cloud or via separate hard drive storage – that makes electronic copies of the vital business information on a regular basis.
Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) – Employees are using their personal smart devices – such as PCs and smartphones – for work purposes. It’s important to consider where sensitive company, customer and employee data is being accessed. Implement a policy for BYOD use.
Secure Your Networks – Set a strong passphrase for your Wi-Fi network that is at least 12 characters long.
When in Doubt, Throw it Out – Employees should know not to open suspicious links in email, tweets, posts, online ads, messages or attachments.
Cybersecurity in the Workplace is Everyone’s Business – It’s not just the job of the IT staff or business owner to ensure online safety at work. Creating a culture of cybersecurity includes ALL employees knowing how to protect themselves and the organization, while understanding the cyber risks as the business grows or adds new technologies. Provide education opportunities for employees and frequent training on real cyber situations.