Cybercrime now costs businesses about $250,000 per second. As technological advancements have made cyberattacks more complex and sophisticated, it’s imperative that companies review their business network security.
Modern businesses have greatly benefited from technology. However, the risk posed by cybercrime threatens to cause adverse effects that may threaten their survival. Securing your company’s sensitive data and digital assets requires a holistic approach to network security.
Relying on one cybersecurity strategy will not cut it if you want to protect enterprise data. Your business must always aim to be one or two steps ahead of malicious actors. Read on and learn the best practices for fortifying your growing company.
Network Segmentation
One of the best ways to protect your business network is to segregate it. Network segmentation allows you to divide the network into different zones based on functionality. The goal of separating the network is to ensure that breaches in one area don’t affect the entire system.
Network segmentation also helps you create different cybersecurity strategies for different sections based on importance. One form of segmentation is the air gap. An air gap allows you to create a physical barrier that isolates your business network from unsecured networks. Air gaps are helpful because they offer the following benefits:
- Protection against malicious actors
- Prevention of direct access to sensitive or valuable data
- Enhances compliance with government regulations in specific industries
Apart from air gaps, you can segment your network through Virtual Local Area Networks (VLANs) and demilitarized zones. Effectively protecting your network means using more than one cybersecurity strategy. You should consider combining more than one method to segregate your network and enhance protection against cyberattacks.
Implement Robust Data Encryption
Safeguarding your data is the focal point of enhancing your business network security. Implement robust encryption mechanisms that can work when the data is at rest or in transit. Protecting data through encryption involves using algorithms to convert the data into a particular format.
This means even if malicious actors gain access to your network, they can’t read the data unless they get the decryption keys. The encryption strategies you can implement for your business include:
- Utilize proven encryption protocols
- Implement email encryption of data when communicating
- Implement triple data encryption
You can combine encryption with Data Loss Prevention (DLP) strategies. DLP solutions offer your company more capabilities for detecting and preventing data exfiltration incidents.
Conduct Regular Network Audits
Before improving your business network security, conduct an audit. Understanding your system can help you evaluate what your company needs and provide insights into what areas you can strengthen.
A network audit can reveal potential security vulnerabilities within the system. Approximately 4% of all businesses feel safe with their current network security. An audit can help uncover holes and pinpoint backdoors that malicious actors can use to gain access to your network.
Network audits should occur regularly and with the help of a cybersecurity professional. You can hire a third party, if necessary, especially if you need professional IT services from an objective perspective.
An audit can also give you insights on the following:
- State of your antivirus software
- Unnecessary applications running in your network
- The health of current software, servers, and other IT infrastructure
Conduct Maintenance Work
Do you need to take any action if your network’s security is strong? Yes, conduct regular maintenance work to ensure your business remains protected. Remember, malicious actors are busy at work finding ways to bypass your existing security system.
Maintaining your network security involves upgrading your system to the latest available features. For instance, cloud solutions now offer scalable cybersecurity solutions that can expand as your business grows.
Automate the maintenance of your business network security to ensure your system stays up-to-date. Maintaining cybersecurity for businesses also involves doing the following:
- Generating activity reports of the network’s security status
- Maintaining backups
- Updating network names and passwords
Use Robust Firewalls
Installing a firewall can help your business gain an additional line of defense. A firewall can act as a gatekeeper monitoring traffic flow across your network. It comes with pre-programmed rules on how to filter information.
Besides firewalls, you should use intrusion prevention and detection systems. Intrusion Detection Systems (IDS) can provide real-time alerts whenever there is malicious or suspicious activity on your network.
Remember to continuously update your firewall configuration settings to ensure they keep up with the evolving nature of cybersecurity threats.
Set Up a Virtual Private Network
Cybersecurity threats are shifting to remote work environments at an accelerated pace since the 2019 Covid pandemic. So, businesses have to enhance the security of access to their corporate networks.
Setting up a Virtual Private Network (VPN) allows you to create a tunnel-like connection between your business and authorized parties. VPNs have become essential for protecting business networks because they can:
- Hide IP addresses
- Encrypt data
- Provide secure remote access
This network creates a private and secure connection between your business and the internet, even when using public Wi-Fi. Doing so protects your data from theft, tampering, and unauthorized access. Consult an expert on managed IT services to find a VPN that works for your business.
Automate Incident Response
The best defense is a strong offense. When setting up your company’s network security, implement a robust incident robust plan. A strong incident response plan is critical to mitigating risks and adverse effects if data breaches occur.
Configure your security tools to ensure that you can respond automatically when cyber threats occur. For instance, one of the first responses to a threat should be the termination of the connection.
Report and incident reporting is the next step. The third and most crucial step is to collect more information on how to defend against future similar attacks.
Additional Best Practices for Business Network Security
Enhancing the security of your network requires taking a comprehensive approach; other best practices for improving your business network security include:
- Employee training
- Implementing advanced endpoint security solutions
- Enabling multi-factor authentication
- Enhancing physical security of critical IT infrastructure
Protect Your Business Network Today
Cyberattacks represent one of the main threats businesses face in the modern world. No matter the size, your company needs to take measures to safeguard its network. Investing in the most robust and up-to-date system can enhance your company’s business network security.
However, you need to go a step further and continuously implement the best security practices to fortify your network. EMPIST will help you create a strong security framework that safeguards your growing enterprise. Reach out to one of our experts today.