There are just a few weeks left of 2020 and the New Year is looming. 2020 has been an unexpected year and for many businesses owners, it has perhaps been the most challenging twelve months yet. This has taught us a valuable lesson: preparing for all eventualities and responding to obstacles quickly is key to success. So, with 2021 just around the corner, it is time to start planning for whatever January may bring. This includes evaluating and improving your business’ cyber security for maximum protection.
A 2019 study found that 46% of UK businesses had experienced a cyber security breach or attack in the previous 12 months. Avoid becoming a statistic in 2021 with these cyber security New Year’s resolutions for your business.
Seven Cyber Security New Year’s Resolutions
Evaluate your business’ current approach to cyber security
Many companies have a cyber security procedure in place, such as a set protocol for dealing with spam emails and other data breaches – but when was the last time you evaluated yours? There are likely lots of improvements that you could make to mitigate the impact of cyber attacks on your business, so make this your resolution for early 2021!
If you don’t have a set procedure for preventing and coping with online security breaches, now is certainly the time to put one in place. This could be as simple as making sure your employees know who to raise security concerns with. If there’s no set procedure, your staff may ignore the problem or fail to act as quickly as they should.
Once you have established a protocol, make sure it becomes a set part of company policy. This means making sure your employees have access to it at all times and encouraging everyone in your company to follow it closely.
Train your employees on cyber security practices
If you haven’t already invested in cyber security training for your employees, make 2021 the year you do so. This is important for all businesses, but especially those in office environments where employees communicate by email multiple times per shift. You can’t monitor your employees’ computer activity all day, so you will need to trust that they are acting safely and responsibly.
The most effective way to ensure this is to train them thoroughly in cyber security. As the manager, it is your responsibility to make sure that your employees are well-versed in your company’s data and internet security practices; if you don’t, your business could fall victim to data breaches.
Stay up-to-date with the latest security threats
Unfortunately, the techniques that cybercriminals use to steal data are becoming increasingly sophisticated. This can make it difficult for even the most tech-savvy people to spot and prevent potential attacks. With this in mind, it is more important than ever to make sure you stay up-to-date with the latest security threats and breaches.
This means educating yourself on common email attacks, such as whaling, phishing, spoofing and spear phishing. Even a basic understanding of these attacks could mean the difference between a minor threat and a catastrophic data breach. Make 2021 the year you learn more about cyber security breaches to protect your business.
To help you stay updated with some of the most dangerous security threats, we have written numerous blogs and articles on the topic. For example, here are some of the most common types of email attacks to avoid.
Update your company website
Updating your company website is a very simple way to protect your business against cyber security threats in 2021. This is something many people discount, but you might be surprised to know that the information on your company website could be used to target your employees.
If you run a small business, your ‘meet the team’ page may be essential to establishing a personable brand. However, with whaling attacks on the rise, it may be sensible to limit how much the public can see about your employees. This information could be used by cybercriminals to personalise spam emails and lull your employees into a false sense of security.
So, in 2021, make it your New Year’s resolution to audit your company website and remove any information that could put your business at risk. This includes your employees’ email addresses and references to any personal data, such as likes and dislikes or social media usernames.
Learn from your cyber security mistakes
Unless your business is brand new, you have probably fallen victim to cyber security threats in the past. In 2021, make sure you learn from your company’s previous mistakes to prevent similar issues occurring in the future. This is a simple resolution that can benefit you in all aspects of your business, but especially in relation to data security.
Think carefully about the areas of your business that have been vulnerable to attacks in the past and how you could learn from them. For instance, have most of your security attacks come via email? If yes, then you know you need to put extra measures in place – such as an anti-spam filter – to prevent email attacks from threatening your business.
Embrace security-enhancing technology
In 2021, make it your business objective to embrace the technology available to you. There are lots of technological advancements that could protect your business from cyber security attacks, so why not take advantage of them?
This could be as simple as updating the software your business uses to ensure it’s equipped with the most up-to-date security features available. Or, it could be a slightly larger undertaking, such as setting up a centralised server for your employees to connect to when working remotely. What works best will depend on the industry you work in and the size of your company.
It can be tempting to cut costs where possible by not investing in modern technology and software, however, these solutions could help your business make significant savings over the years. If your business falls victim to a ransomware attack or cybercriminals steal important data, your financial losses will surpass what it would have cost to implement security software.
Invest in cloud-based anti-spam software
If there is one New Year’s resolution that every business should make for the safety and security of its online data, it’s investing in cloud-based anti-spam software, such as MailCleaner. This is one of the most effective steps you can take to protect your business from the threat of email attacks, including phishing, whaling and spoofing attacks.
Email attacks pose a serious threat to every business, as they often contain links and attachments to harmful malware. They can also convince employees to hand over confidential data, including financial information, that they wouldn’t otherwise share with anyone outside of your company.
Anti-spam software mitigates this risk by preventing spam emails from entering your inbox. Your employees won’t need to waste time distinguishing between legitimate and illegitimate emails; the anti-spam gateway will take care of this for you. MailCleaner is so sophisticated that it blocks up to 99% of spam and viruses from reaching your inbox, eliminating the risk of your employees accidentally clicking on a harmful link.
With cloud-based anti-spam software, like MailCleaner, you can also benefit from increased protection across your whole server. No matter where your employees are based or what device they are working from, your anti-spam solution will provide the protection they need. This will be especially useful in 2021 as more people opt to work away from the office in response to both Covid-19 and changing attitudes towards remote working.
Protect your business from cyber security threats in 2021 with MailCleaner, the leading cloud-based anti-spam gateway
Protect your business in 2021 with help from MailCleaner, the leading cloud-based anti-spam gateway provider for enterprises, governments and educational institutions. MailCleaner sits between your mail infrastructure and the internet, analysing every email sent to your server and filtering out harmful or unwanted messages before they reach your inbox. This quick and efficient security solution can protect your business against phishing and extortion attacks, prevent financial losses and keep your professional reputation intact.
Whether you run a small business or a large, multi-national corporation, MailCleaner has a solution to suit your commercial requirements. We can also create bespoke packages based on whether you want a shared or virtual cloud-based solution.
To learn more about MailCleaner and its benefits, please don’t hesitate to contact us today. Our team of enterprise protection specialists are on hand to discuss your requirements in more detail. We look forward to protecting your data security in 2021.