How to Educate and Protect Your Business From Cyber Threats

It’s been a year or more with many changes in the way we work. Reliance on technology has come to the forefront as we move to permanent remote work or a hybrid setup with part time in the office and part time at home. Cloud computing provides cyber threat protection and allows people to access the technology that they need to perform their jobs. But handing over the bulk of your IT to a Cloud Services Provider does not absolve you from security threats.

Cyber security concerns grow greater all the time and unless people and companies remain diligent, it can be easy to find yourself the victim of a harmful attack. Below, I’ve listed some ways to educate and thus protect your workforce to enable them to keep themselves and your company data safe.

Firstly, you should provide employees with education opportunities, so they know how to recognize suspicious emails. Whether you’re sending out emails about potential threats or providing courses on best practices, teaching your workforce to be diligent is an excellent first step.

Phishing emails are designed to look like they come from a reputable company or person. These are designed to get you to click – so they tell a story to grab your attention. Whether it’s offering you something for free or telling you there’s been suspicious activity on your account, here are some ways to recognize whether an email is real or just a phishing attempt.

1: Does the sender know your name or is it using a generic greeting? (Hi Bill vs. Dear Customer)

2: Does the email domain match the company exactly? (costco.com vs. costcoenterprisesinc.com)

3: Is the subject line promising something unrealistic? (We have added $18,697 to your account!)

Aside from learning what emails are safe to click on and which ones are not, it’s also good to have some cyber threat protection technology measures in place. These tools can prevent phishing attempts from being successful, but these additional resources on cyber security may also be helpful.

1: Protect your business and home with a secure internet connection. A Virtual Private Network (VPN) creates a more secure connection.

1: Use anti-virus solutions, malware, and firewalls to block suspicious emails from getting through to begin with.

2: Use multi-factor authentication that prevents threats from accessing your data by only guessing your password.

3: A password management tool can help you track and create safe passwords.

The good news is you don’t have to figure these details out by yourself. We suggest becoming partners with a technology solutions provider that you trust. Such a partnership can bring immense value to your company through security best practices and suggestions on the best tools to use to protect your company information. The even better news is that Aktion Associates partners with businesses like yours to provide just this type of support. We have an entire team of cyber security experts. Aktion can also recommend and implement the cyber threat protection tools that will protect you from harmful cyber threats.