Protecting your data is crucial: any data lost or attacked compromises you and your organisation. Cyber security is the practice of defending your IT and telecommunications from any malicious attacks.
Cyber attacks can affect your organisation in a number of ways:
- A large cost to fix the hardware and software that’s been compromised.
- Receiving a fine for a data breach.
- Loss of clients and reputation, both of which are difficult to regain.
Fortunately there are many ways to increase your organisation’s cyber security. Investing in managed IT support is a great way to save yourself time and hassle.
You should also consider implementing the 10 steps to cyber security. Keep reading to discover what that means and how you can start increasing your IT defences.
So what are the 10 steps to cyber security?
They are a set of guidelines published by the UK government in 2012, with the aim to help all organisations protect themselves and their data.
The 10 steps to cyber security are:
1) Risk management regime
It’s recommended that organisations thoroughly assess the risks of the technology, systems and information assets they use.
This can be achieved by conducting a thorough risk management regime across your organisation that’s supported by the board, senior managers and an empowered leadership structure.
2) Secure configuration
A data breach can be caused by misconfigured controls, for example a database that’s not sufficiently protected, or a software update that hasn’t been installed.
Secure configuration ensures that you remove or disable unnecessary functionality from systems and promptly look to fix vulnerabilities in your software.
3) Home and mobile working
Particularly since the outbreak of Coronavirus, more and more employees are working from home or otherwise remotely. This comes with its own set of security risks because remote workers don’t get the same physical and network security provided in the office.
You should establish risk based policies and procedures that support home and mobile working or remote access to systems, and make sure all employees are confident using them.
4) Incident management
Unfortunately, it’s likely that all organisations will experience some form of security incident at some point or another.
Establishing effective incident management policies will help improve resilience. These policies can also improve both customer and stakeholder confidence in your organisation and potentially reduce any reputation damage.
5) Malware prevention
Malware (or malicious software), is an umbrella term that incorporates all codes or content that could have a malicious impact on systems.
A common example of malware is a malicious email attachment or link. The way to reduce coming under the threat of malware is to implement appropriate malware prevention in your organisation, such as using firewalls and antivirus software, specifically next-generation firewalls and advanced Endpoint Detection & Response (EDR).
6) Managing user privileges
Organisations should create access controls that ensure employees only have the minimum access and privileges that are needed for their specific role.
Through managing user privileges, you minimise the risk of sensitive information being exposed or an employee stealing sensitive information.
7) Monitoring
System monitoring allows you to identify successful or attempted attacks. Effective monitoring is essential to allow you to respond to attacks on your system.
Through monitoring, you’ll gain an understanding of the ways in which hackers are targeting you, so you can make improvements to security functions in the future.
8) Network security
According to the National Cyber Security Centre, “the connections from your networks to the Internet, and other partner networks, expose your systems and technologies to attack.”
While you won’t be able to eradicate all of the possible vulnerabilities, having sufficient network security helps protect your systems from both internal and external threats.
9) Removable media controls
Removable media, such as USB sticks, are a common pathway for malware to enter your system, and for sensitive data to be exported either accidentally or deliberately.
Having removable media controls in place limits the risk of employees accidentally or deliberately inserting a corrupted USB into your system.
10) User education and awareness
Your staff and colleagues have a big role to play in aiding your cyber security and should be considered the last line of defence when it comes to effective cyber-security. Through programmes and training, you can increase user education and awareness, turning your own team into a ‘human firewall’.
Through understanding malware and other cyber threats, staff can be more proactive in increasing cyber security and looking after their data.
Contact us
Implementing each of the 10 steps to cyber security can be tricky. When you work with a managed IT services provider like Team Metalogic, we take care of your cyber security for you, reducing your time hassle and letting you focus on your business.
As an extension of your team, we work with you on your cyber-security strategy to ensure your systems are protected and monitored on a regular basis. We’re both proactive in mitigating risks, as well as responding to any issues should they arise. As a leading managed IT service provider, we’ll not only fix your systems if something goes wrong, but also look for ways to prevent them from happening.
Our cyber security services include:
- Antivirus and malware protection
- Managed Cloud backup
- Layered security tools such as Fortify for endpoints and Fortify for networks
- Dark web monitoring
- Cyber Essentials certifications
- Next-Gen firewall and next-gen security subscriptions
Interested in how we can help improve your cyber security posture?