Cybersecurity New Year’s Resolutions

Exercise more. Spend less time on social media. Increase your client list. Improve workflow. Sound familiar? Setting resolutions both personal and professional is the key to starting 2022 off on the right foot.  

But as you work on developing the best version of you – and of your business – in this new year, remember: you won’t achieve any of your goals without the right security in place. 

2021 was a landmark year for cybercrime, after all. According to IBM, the average cost of a data breach was about $4.24 million, a 10% increase from 2020. We also witnessed a record volume of ransomware attacks with 495 million attempts recorded through September of 2021 alone. And as alarming as it all may seem, the current rate of cybercrime shows no sign of slowing in the new year.  

Looks like you’ve got a few things to add to your list, no? Here are some cybersecurity resolutions to commit to in 2022. 

Take Security Awareness Training Seriously 

If we’ve said it once we’ve said it a thousand times: great cybersecurity starts with you.  

Around 90% of cyberattacks are caused in some way by human error. Whether it’s via a successful phishing email or smart malvertising, the best cybercriminals prey on those with a lack of knowledge in order to gain access to sensitive data.  

The only way to combat this type of attack is to educate both yourself and your employees on current trends in cybercrime. Security awareness training offers videos, lessons, lectures, simulations, and tests designed to teach you how to spot, avoid, and report attacks before they happen. Adding it to your list of resolutions – and continuing to do so for years to come – is essential to keeping your data safe.  

Update Your Software Regularly 

Make “remind me tomorrow” a thing of the past. 

In the grand scheme of cybersecurity, software updates may seem trivial, but keeping your tools up to date is crucial to protecting the whole of your technology ecosystem. In addition to upgrading functionality and performance, software updates also push bug fixes, mend holes in security infrastructure, and keep criminals at bay.  

Known as patch management, the practice of keeping machines, programs, and solutions current can mitigate risk while simultaneously improving operations. Failing to add patch management to your resolutions, however, will almost certainly leave your business exposed. 

Consider Advanced Cybersecurity Measures 

Standard cybersecurity measures like anti-virus software and multi-factor authentication (MFA) are necessary and effective. Re-committing to these solutions is certainly a worthwhile New Year’s resolution in and of itself.  

However, what has become clear in the past decade of cybercrime is that these basic protective methods are no longer enough to fully protect your data. Today’s threats are more advanced and more prolific than ever before, and as such, they require a robust, proactive approach to cybersecurity in order to be stopped.  

Solutions like Endpoint Detection & Response (EDR) or Managed Detection & Response (MDR) may seem overwhelming at first glance, but considering the stakes, one of these more advanced options might be the best chance you have at protecting your business. We highly recommend making the time to look into them in 2022.  

Find Your Partner in Cybercrime 

Of course, resolutions are nothing if you can’t achieve them.  

When managing the ins and outs of your cybersecurity starts to feel like too much, EMPIST is there. An elite, security-focused managed service provider, EMPIST has the tools and resources needed to handle all the complicated facets of your security for you. We make it our business to guarantee that your cybersecurity resolutions become a reality, allowing you to focus on the rest of your goals.  

2022, Secured  

Like it or not, your data is at risk in the new year. Protecting it must be a priority.  

To get started with EMPIST managed cybersecurity, visit us online today. To learn more about the resolutions, services, and software mentioned above, head to our main blog page.