You might think a cybercriminal is more drawn to the pay-dirt of a Fortune 500 company than your business but don’t be fooled. According to the Norton SMB Cyber Security Survey 2017, one in four Australian SMBs experienced a cyber attack in 2017. There’s more bad news too. That’s a jump on the one-in-every-five SMBs that experienced an attack in 2016.
One of the keys to fortifying your business against cyber attacks is to stay abreast of the latest cybersecurity technology.
Some of the key areas cybersecurity is advancing in presently include multifactor authentication (MFA), encryption and connection. Here we break down how the advancement of these technologies signals better protection for your business.
Multifactor authentication
Multifactor authentication (MFA) is not new but the incidence of cyber attacks against Australian SMBs today means it’s an auspicious time for the technology to proliferate.
SMBs’ increasing reliance on software-as-a-service (SaaS)-based products is generating a graveyard of forgotten passwords that can haunt SMBs long after they’ve forgotten them and new data breach notification laws mean small businesses need to be more stringent about customer data security and privacy.
The wide range of authentication methods available to your business today include passwords, biometrics, hardware and software tokens, behavioural intelligence and Push and SMS authentication. But MFA is not a one-size-fits-all solution.
A good starting point to rolling out more of this technology in your business is to first examine the outcome you are seeking to achieve. It’s also best practice to verify that your proposed MFA solution matches well with the way you intend to use the technology; solutions for cloud-based environments are typically different from those for local apps, for example.
It’s important to remember that your solution should account for the future development of your business and you shouldn’t over-complicate procedure by introducing too many factors of authentication.
Encryption
Encryption stonewalls cybercriminals from your business’s data by scrambling your plaintext into nonsensical text that’s only restorable for staff members with the right key.
It’s forecast to play an increasingly critical role in securing the communications and data storage of businesses and protecting SMBs whose operations and development hinge on the Internet of Things and connected devices.
Before splashing out, however, it’s a good idea to ensure you have a sound policy in place. Consult with relevant stakeholders, make decisions about who needs access and be attentive to compliance issues. Then couple policy with the most appropriate encryption technology.
Dell Encryption Personal provides comprehensive security protection for small businesses. It supports hassle-free compliance management with touch-compliance policy templates and quick system recovery, encrypts all data (except for the files needed to boot the operating system) and encrypts based on user profiles and data sensitivity.
If you appreciate the value of your data, your encryption setup is a big factor in your IT decisions.
Connection
There’s every chance the employees in your business are working remotely today. They’re in a corner of a cafe cranking jobs out on their mobile devices, dipping into apps direct from the cloud and giving their ears to video conferencing.
One thing this shows is that employee’s connection to the Internet is no longer an issue that IT leaders need to manage solely in the physical workplace.
Dell commissioned Forrester to conduct research last year that highlighted a high incidence of workers who share information in insecure environments, opening businesses up to risk. Undersharing data is counterproductive but the challenge for IT decision makers is to instil confidence in workforces (and their customers) that they can share data securely.
There are usable solutions for SMBs. Solutions such as Dell Endpoint Security Suite Enterprise function with the increasing mobility of the workforce in mind. With a range of supportive components including advanced threat prevention, data protection solutions and endpoint management, it’s possible to securely run your business while still enabling users to embrace connection through bring-your-own-device (BYOD), sharing data in public cloud services and workforce mobility.
As the features and functionality of these technologies reflect, cybersecurity is an issue for businesses of all sizes.
Contact a DELL small business advisor today on 1800 33 55 06 or visit Dell.com.au/smallbusiness
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