Cybersecurity Best Practices

Cybersecurity works best when it is applied in layers and is put in place proactively rather than reactively. Using hardware, software and controls, small and mid-sized businesses (SMBs) can help prevent cyberattacks or limit their spread within the network. Strong cybersecurity practices demonstrate a culture of safety to employees, customers, regulators and vendors. DIGIGUARD has compiled a checklist of industry best practices for SMBs that encompasses these main categories of cybersecurity:

Our expert consultants can evaluate your existing controls, update your technology and suggest ways to improve your security. We balance the need for robust security with the need for efficient workflow.

IT Security Checklist:

Information Technology Assets – Assess critical inventory assets such as:

Existing Security Solutions – What products and vendors are in place, what services are duplicated, what protections are missing, such as:

Auditing for Patches and Updates – Reduce vulnerability by using the latest versions, patches and updates for existing protections with:

Data Recovery and Business Continuity Planning and Solutions – Regular backups ensure that losses from data breaches and ransomware encryption are minimized by:

Third-Party Vendor Security – Increased external vendors can mean increased security risk. Minimize exposure by:

Access Controls – Carefully limit access and administrative privileges to network and data by:

Employee Training – Empower staff to make sound security decisions and become human firewalls with:

Configuration Monitoring – Review network connections and activity to identify threats by:

Remote Network Policy – Control remote devices and endpoints to reduce cyber threats by:

Encryption – Deter data theft and compromise by scrambling valuable, sensitive and private data into unreadable text for assets such as:

Incident Recovery Plan – Establish a formal plan, including:

Breaches happen, and cybercrime evolves. No business is completely safe from an attack or breach, but the steps in this checklist can reduce the likelihood of a cyberattack. Having a robust and comprehensive cybersecurity plan in place is essential to protect your SMB from this type of devastating loss. Experts recommend reviewing your network security plan annually. Contact DIGIGUARD today to put cybersecurity best practices to work at your business.