5 Data Security Tips From Your Miami Network Security Specialists
For companies, sharing and storing sensitive data is part of regular business practices. For this reason, it’s important that companies take the necessary precautions to ensure their data is secure at all times. Vulnerable data can lead to a host of problems for companies. This isn’t just stressful, but it can be costly for business owners.
At 4IT, we are your award-winning Miami network security specialists dedicated to empowering businesses in Miami and the surrounding South Florida area. Today, we’re going to discuss why network security is important for your company and tips on how businesses can improve their network security.
Miami Network Security: Why Securing Data is Important
Businesses have access to critical information, and protecting this information is essential for business growth and success. Ultimately, if you leave your company’s data vulnerable, this can threaten the longevity of your business.
Here’s an example. Let’s say you have a data breach. You now have to alert all of your customers who might have been affected by the breach. This can easily ruin your company’s reputation as customers are less likely to do business with you again due to mistrust.
At the same time, a data breach will cost you. It doesn’t just make you lose revenue due to customer loss, it can also affect your ability to operate at all until the situation is rectified. For this reason, it’s best that businesses take a proactive approach to their network security in Miami.
5 Security Tips from Miami Network Security Specialists
For businesses located in Miami, it’s important that you take appropriate precautions to ensure your network is secure. Here are 5 tips you should be taking right now to improve your company’s network security.
Always Scan Your Network for Vulnerabilities
If you’re not running a network security scan on a regular basis, you are opening your business open to potential vulnerabilities. A network vulnerability scan is automated scanning software that looks at every part of your IT systems. This includes things like computers, servers, websites, and software.
Essentially, a scan will look for common security flaws that can threaten business information. Some businesses go weeks — and even months without realizing they have an unsecured network system. Unfortunately, these businesses usually don’t find out until it’s too late.
If you’re a company in Miami, it’s important to be proactive when it comes to protecting sensitive data. The only way to know a vulnerability is present is by scanning for potential threats. It’s important to note that doing a scan a few times a year isn’t enough. Businesses should get in the habit of performing monthly scans to ensure no threat goes unnoticed.
Use a VPN to Increase Network Security
A VPN is something that connects to your PC, smartphone, and other mobile devices to another computer (called a server) somewhere on the internet. The VPN allows you to browse the computer using the computer’s internet connection.
A VPN is important for companies because it helps protect them from data breaches. Unfortunately, data breaches are becoming more commonplace, which means businesses need to strengthen their security to keep sensitive information protected.
One of the benefits of a VPN is remote access. For instance, let’s say you have remote employees who will be reviewing critical data. You don’t want them accessing private information through a public network as this can make it easier for hackers to steal sensitive information. In this case, your remote employees would use a VPN instead. This allows remote workers to access information from anywhere without compromising data.
Another benefit of a VPN is that it gives businesses greater control over who has access to information. VPN’s will authenticate and authorize access levels and permissions that are associated with the username or IP address, which really tightens security measures.
Make Every Administration Password Unique
One of the easiest ways for hackers to gain access to information is through weak passwords. You’d be surprised at how many businesses recycle the same or similar passwords across multiple platforms. These passwords might be easy to remember, but they really serve as an inconvenience for businesses as hackers are more likely to steal data.
With that said, businesses in Miami should practice making every administration password unique if they’re not already. The more complex the password is, the more difficult it will be for hackers. As a result, they will likely move on to a business with easier access.
Your password should be long and complex. Essentially, you want to aim for a password length of 10 characters or more. Be sure to have a combination of characters such as upper and lower case, numbers, and special characters.
Double Down on Network Security with Two-Factor Authentication
It isn’t enough to just make your passwords unique, businesses should also enable two-factor authentication. This extra level of security goes a long way for businesses. Essentially, securing your company’s information is beyond creating a crafty password. Today, businesses need to be more sophisticated in their approach as hackers are going to greater lengths to steal business information.
Two-factor authentication is an additional step in the login process. This can be a code sent to your phone or even a fingerprint. This verification process helps verify your identity and makes it more difficult for malicious persons to access sensitive information. Businesses that don’t switch to two-factor authentication, unfortunately, leave their company’s data vulnerable — and this can lead to major problems.
Create Secure Backups for Everything
Backing up data is so crucial for businesses. However, many companies don’t understand the importance of backing up their data on a regular basis. When you fail to perform backups, you are essentially leaving your data open to vulnerabilities, which is no fun for any business.
For instance, there are plenty of opportunities for data to be accidentally deleted or get lost in the void. There’s also the potential for your computer to crash, leading to data loss. In these kinds of situations, companies need to have a contingency plan in place that will allow them to recover data successfully.
With that said, a thorough data backup will protect data and give businesses peace of mind. Here are 3 different backup options that Miami company’s need to perform.
- Cloud backups: Platforms such as Dropbox and Carbonite allow companies to store data in the cloud. What’s great about these platforms is that the cloud servers backup data automatically, which means you don’t have to think about it.
- External hard drive: Another secure option to back up data is by using an external hard drive. All you need to do is plug the hard drive in and copy your documents and systems to it.
- USB: This is the last resort for businesses. However, copying your data to your USB stick is better than not backing it up at all. If you plan to use a USB, be sure to make more secure arrangements to back up data as soon as possible.
If you’re a business owner in Miami or the surrounding South Florida area, it’s important that you keep your business information secure. Too often, businesses operate long-term with an unsecured network. But this can result in serious vulnerabilities that threaten the business. If your company is in need of high-quality IT services and support, contact us today. We are Miami network security specialists who can help you secure your business’s network.
