The Most Important Business Computing Tip Involves Maintaining Data Security

Tips are great as long as they actually work. Business owners need more technology tips than just about anything else, whether that is app-specific or general care of technology. Macro Systems tries to do our best to offer useful tips a couple of times a month, but this week we wanted to focus on what is probably the most critical tip we can provide.

The most important tip for business computing is to prioritize cybersecurity and the protection of their digital assets. This covers a lot of ground and encompasses several key practices, as the potential financial damage from a data breach, ransomware attack, or other cyberthreat can be bad news for any business, regardless of market or size.

Data Security Best Practices

This one tip has many parts, but every one of them is essential to keeping your data safe. Maintaining data security demands a strict adherence to all of them. 

• Implement a comprehensive backup strategy - Follow the 3-2-1 rule: have at least three copies of your data, store it on two different types of media, and keep one copy off-site. This ensures you can recover from hardware failure, natural disasters, or cyberattacks like ransomware that encrypt your local files.
• Use strong, unique passwords and multi-factor authentication - A strong password policy is the foundation of cybersecurity. Utilize a password manager to generate and store complex passwords for every service. Enable multi-factor authentication on all business accounts to add an extra layer of security, making it much harder for unauthorized users to gain access.
• Keep all software updates - Regularly updating your operating systems, applications, and antivirus software is imperative. Updates often contain security patches that fix vulnerabilities cybercriminals could exploit.
• Train employees on cybersecurity awareness - Phishing scams and social engineering are common attack vectors. Educate your team on how to recognize suspicious emails, avoid clicking malicious links, and understand the importance of secure browsing habits.
• Use secure networks - Avoid using public Wi-Fi for business-critical tasks. If you must, use a Virtual Private Network (VPN) to encrypt your connection. For your office, ensure your network is protected with a strong firewall and is configured securely.

This is actually a few tips, but they are all aimed toward the same end: keeping your data and network as secure as possible. We can help provide you the tools and expertise that makes securing your business’ network and data a natural part of your whole business’ computing processes. Give Macro Systems a call today at 703-359-9211 to learn more.