DIGITAL MEDIA GHOST
  • Publication
    • Editorial Calendar
    • Subscribe!
  • #GhostsWriteIt Spotlight
    • Writer Spotlight Submission
  • Services
    • Digital Strategy >
      • Content Marketing
      • Law Firm Marketing
      • Social Media Management
    • Ghostwriting
    • Public Relations >
      • Social Sabotage & Online Privacy >
        • Social Media Policy Template
  • About

How can you save your company from total damnation with cyber security?

2/9/2018

Comments

 
Picture
by ​Chris Mercer, Guest Contributor

The more connected companies become to the internet, the more hacks are taking place. Just in 2017 there were some whoppers. Equifax was hacked, which put the personal data of half of America online, Yahoo announced that three billion of their accounts had been hacked and even the NSA – which is supposed to be as secure as they come – had their toolkit exposed.

And those are the big boys. These companies have thousands of people working on their cyber security. So what can a smaller business do? I mean, sure you might not get international headlines but what does that matter if it turns out your entire company has been compromised?​





Here are some of the important cyber security ideas you should consider.



Never forget the weakest link
The first thing to realize is that in cyber security the biggest problem isn’t actually your computer systems but the people that use them. There are a lot of reason for this, but mainly it’s down to the mistakes people make. They choose passwords that are too easy to break, they use the same passwords for a wide range of different services, or they leave information in a place where hackers and crackers can easily find it.

And if hackers can get the passwords to your system, it really doesn’t matter how secure it is. They’re going to get in.

For that reason, make sure that you educate your staff and that some areas of your network are not accessible to everybody. Also, make sure you teach them how to use the tools out there to increase their security, like password managers. These things will help shore up the weakest part of your cyber security.

Update your systems
On an almost daily basis new mistakes are being discovered in software and apps. To protect you against these, the people who have made these software packages offer updates. Of course, these updates only work if you actually use them. For that reason, make sure you update regularly.

In this way, you that the window between when a weakness in software is discovered and when it’s no longer in your system is as small as possible.

When you’re no longer use something, decommission it
Just as important is turning off and taking down functions that you’re no longer supporting. This is a big deal, as often the moment you no longer support these functions you will also stop updating them and stop paying attention to them. That means that while you might diligently update the parts in use, these parts can often still be running on old software, thereby leaving gaping hole in your cyber security that those who mean you harm can exploit.

Don’t let that happen. Turn these things off and take them offline as quickly as possible. It doesn’t matter if it’s an app like a citation machine or a wordpress website. If you’re not using it, take it down. You can always put it back up again if you change your mind later on.
​

Create backups
Even if you follow all of those ideas and more, you still have to assume that sooner or later you are going to get hacked. That’s an unfortunate consequence of being online.

For that reason, make sure that you make it as easy as possible for your system to be recovered. One of the best ways to do that is to have a backup strategy and create regular updates that you can return to if your system ends up becoming compromised. Often, steps like these are going to be the difference between taking a hit and going down for the count.

There are a lot of services out there that offer backups. Consider using one of them rather relying on in house. The reason this is a good idea is that then to take you down, they don’t just have to hack your system but also the system of the company where you have your backups.
​
​
About the Author:

Chris Mercer, pro writer, developer and founder of Citatior, a powerful academic formatting tool for the students, that creates high-end citations. Follow me on LinkedIn! 

Use the code: 8078 for 10% off!

Wizard World Ticket Discount

Use for any ticket purchase, anytime!


Comments
    Picture
    Become a Ghostwriter!
    Picture
    Contribute to DMG
    Picture
    BECOME A GUEST CONTRIBUTOR
    Picture
    PROMOTE YOUR BUSINESS BY GUEST POSTING
    Picture
    ARE YOU A GHOSTWRITER? WE WANT TO KNOW!
    Picture
    DO YOU HAVE A GHOSTWRITING BUSINESS?

    RSS Feed

    Categories

    All
    Agency Spotlight
    Business
    Digital Marketing
    Ghost In A Flash
    Ghostwriting
    Media Relations
    Privacy Concerns
    Social Sabotage
    Technology
    Writer Spotlight
    Writing

    Advertising Disclaimer

    Archives

    September 2023
    August 2023
    July 2023
    June 2023
    May 2023
    April 2023
    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    May 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012

Find your domain and create your site at Weebly.com!
Digital Media Strategy
Content Marketing
Law Firm Marketing
Search Engine Optimization
Social Media Marketing
eBooks
Writing
Becoming a Ghostwriter
Blogging
Content Marketing
Ghostwriting Services
Guest Post Guidelines
Media Relations
Online Crisis Management
Personal Brand
Public Relations
Reputation Management
About
Our Team
Our Results
Testimonials
Contact Us
Locations:
New Orleans, LA
Nashville, TN


Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Cookie Policy
Digital Media Ghost  @2020
  • Publication
    • Editorial Calendar
    • Subscribe!
  • #GhostsWriteIt Spotlight
    • Writer Spotlight Submission
  • Services
    • Digital Strategy >
      • Content Marketing
      • Law Firm Marketing
      • Social Media Management
    • Ghostwriting
    • Public Relations >
      • Social Sabotage & Online Privacy >
        • Social Media Policy Template
  • About