Let's Talk About Cybersecurity in 2023

Your company's data has become an extremely valuable asset—all the more so for criminals. Many businesses have embraced the technology shift, which has given them a major advantage while also leaving them vulnerable. Threats are looming and the number of attacks keeps rising. The reality is that strengthening security to protect the confidentiality and integrity of your data is now essential.

You already know that MMO is always here to help. That is exactly why we have put together a security "*checklist*" to make sure you start the year off on the right foot!

• Assess the risksStaying secure is largely about understanding and anticipating. By having a comprehensive understanding of the factors that threaten to compromise your operations, you can plan the necessary precautions and overcome threats.
• Standardize policies and proceduresDo your employees use their personal computers to access the organization's data? Do they connect to public Wi-Fi networks with company equipment? To ensure a minimum level of control over data that could be exposed, it is important to have clear procedures and policies.
• Implement access and identity managementIt is important to control access to critical information. Effective access management for any information, software, or system within the company is the foundation of good practices. Before restricting access, it is important to identify the critical information and the access required to ensure operations continue without interruption.**For your information, it is important to grant access properly using a security group; otherwise it is impossible to control access by sharing a password with the relevant people. You never know who has access to that password unless it is shared through a security group via a password management platform.*
• Train your employeesEmployees are often easy entry points for criminals. This technique, commonly known as psychological hacking or "*social engineering*," uses psychological manipulation and human error to gain access to information. The most common is email phishing. While it is possible to filter such messages, these emails are increasingly sophisticated and difficult to intercept. By training your employees on policies, procedures, and cybersecurity, you put all the odds in your favor with vigilant and informed employees who can flag any abnormal activity.
• Encrypt your dataWhether your data is in transit or stored, encrypting it allows you to minimize and prevent the risk of security breaches.
• Keep up with your updatesVendors release new security patches and updates on a recurring basis. Not only does this keep you running optimally, it also protects you from vulnerabilities. You are therefore putting yourself at risk unnecessarily if these are neglected.
• Record access logs and activity historyDocumenting logs and activity history is important for detecting any abnormal activity, conducting a post-mortem in the event of a breach or data loss, monitoring and managing changes in the environment, and ensuring the environment's compliance.
• Back up and restoreWe can never say it enough: a backup is only as good as its restore. Back up everything and run restore tests. Data loss is more common than you think. There are many reasons data loss can occur, such as human error, an attack, hardware failure, a logical failure, or corruption. It is very much to your advantage to put a good backup system in place. For more information: 3 myths about backups

Since data is a fundamental asset for any company, it goes without saying that this asset must be kept secure and protected from loss. By following this security "*checklist*," you ensure that your company and your customers stay on course when it comes to security and compliance.

Do not hesitate to contact us with any questions or to book an appointment to see how we can help you with your IT.