Ever-evolving cyber security threats continually present risks to company networks, sensitive data storage, and business continuity. It’s not good enough to simply have a firewall or antivirus software to protect against dangerous cyber attacks.
When it comes to keeping your workplace secure, business owners and IT managers must look for new ways to protect their businesses.
The fact is that Windows firewall and other basic security software solutions are not good enough in this new era of cybersecurity. Businesses need to apply for more secure threat protection. Here’s how a Managed IT service provider, like Response I.T., can help.
Will Windows Defender Protect My Kingston-Based Company?
No business should be running just the Windows firewall as their company’s primary cyber-security defense. You can use the Windows Defender firewall for personal use, but business computers, with sensitive information, should have comprehensive coverage to protect your company against data threats.
Having an overall security policy will help, but you must also consider the most common security attacks. For example, cloud storage may come at a risk. So, take a look at your cloud security. This may involve performing a configuration assessment or adding security within a third-party cloud software to protect your sensitive data.
Cybersecurity Risks to Kingston Businesses in 2023
When it comes to operating a business online, there are a lot of roadblocks to contend with. Faster operational times, improved customer service, and ease of use all make doing business online or at least on a company network better overall.
However, with each of these additions, endpoint security and data security risks increase.
Statistics report that cybersecurity is only getting worse in 2023. Experts are expecting more ransomware attacks, expansion of surface attacks (like the Internet of Things attacks), and more. This means that there needs to be more awareness about cybersecurity threats this year.
Additionally, security patches will be increasingly important as hackers will be looking to exploit vulnerabilities.
Overall, businesses should consider improving their security posture this year.
Tips for Improving Your Kingston, ON Business Security
Every year, large and small businesses need to assess their threat level, exposure risks, and vulnerabilities to organize what needs to be done to improve their security posture.
When done alone, this can be a challenge. After all, you may not be experienced in identifying your company’s security weaknesses. If you rely on security software like Windows Firewall for protection, you can reach out to a remote security expert to learn what is lacking.
Here are some tips for improving your business security posture:
Research Common Threats for Kingston Businesses Next Year
While businesses need to protect their network from malware year after year, it won’t make sense to provide boosted malware security if malware is not likely to be a threat.
As we outlined above, research cyber threats anticipated for next year. Include regional attacks, like those that your Canadian business might want to prepare against. This will better indicate where your company should focus its security efforts and is a great place to start.
Perform an Industry-based Security Assessment
Next, you’ll want to do an industry-based security assessment. This means that you are looking at the threats for next year and the targeted threats for your industry or business type.
For example, the financial sector will contend with its own range of threats that likely won’t hit the retail sector. You may need more security because you are in a high-risk sector; for example, logistics, cloud management, and blockchain will be especially high-risk this year.
Neglecting an industry-based security assessment can leave you just as vulnerable as before.
Perform a Personal Security Risk Assessment
Now, take a look at the research that has been collected. You should better understand what security risks are present or increasing next year. Multiplied by the risks in your industry, you’ll be able to see what security risk your company is facing.
With this information, you will see the security measures that need to be taken.
Collect Your Security Software and Identify What is Being Protected
Connect with your IT department to identify the current software you are using. You may have security software installed or systems applied to your company’s applications and web-based software.
Check into your website domain hosting security settings, email configuration, and other Office® products, and run a scan of current security settings. You’ll want to cross reference this in the next section with the vulnerabilities that are also present or at risk on those individualized software programs.
Develop a 2023 Security Research Plan and Policy
With all the information you have collected and assessed, it’s time to develop your security plan for 2023.
As you can see, a lot of work goes into developing a security research plan for your company. When you have all the data in front of you, you can better see how your company is protected and where it falls short.
You may need to consider adding new software programs that offer comprehensive security. You may also need to implement policies like regular password changes, cache clearing, or security updates.
Reach Out to an I.T. Security Service Provider in Kingston, Ontario
Whether you can get through this assessment on your own or feel like this is a lot to manage, know that you can always work with a remote I.T. security company like Response I.T., which has the expertise to make these decisions for you.
With our security assessment, we work with your company to regularly improve your security. These improvements are continual, so your company will regularly see security improvements as cyber security or your system changes. Your home or work office network will be continually secured rather than facing weak spots or vulnerabilities.
We can also work with your data or security plan to help you find the best path forward.
How Managed IT Services Can Improve Your Kingston-Based Business’s Security
Interested in partnering with a managed I.T. company to increase your company security?
Here’s how we can help:
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Your Company Gains Access to Security Experts Up-to-date on Security Protocols
Hiring an expert like us at Response I.T. will give your company affordable access to security experts who stay up-to-date on security protocols. This means that you don’t have to stay up to speed with these changes, and you can trust the expertise and knowledge of your I.T. team when you need it and keep your company secure.
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Call in Your Security Team During Active Breaches
When there is a data breach, you want to call in someone fast to mitigate the issue. With a managed security I.T. team working for you already, this team will be already on it. They will likely be the team alerting you to compromised security or a security breach post-recovery.
You can call them in using onsite services during an active data breach if you are local to your Kingston I.T. company or work with a remote I.T. company.
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Get the Right Security Software for Your Company Needs
When you work with an I.T. security company, you’ll gain access to more software options as they have wholesale and group pricing options and often come with various choices. They will be able to assess your situation and, from the range of options, choose the software your company needs rather than the first choice on Google.
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Offload Network Security Maintenance Work for Uninterrupted Security
One of the biggest benefits of working with an I.T. company like Response I.T. is that they regularly improve your company’s security. No more dedicated to updating your website plugins. Security patches and routine security maintenance are performed regularly by your outsourced team.
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Take Advantage of Regular Security Patch Updates
In addition to routine maintenance, your managed I.T. team will look for important security patches impacting your tech stack. These might be outliers from standard security updates; you will luckily catch them to patch your system.
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Use Additional Services like Penetration Testing, Backup and Recovery, and Security Assessments
Most managed I.T. solutions have additional services, like penetration testing and security assessments to assess regularly where your company’s security is at. This means you won’t be dealing with security only when you have it but stopping potential vulnerabilities before they become a problem.
When you work with Response I.T., you also have backup and recovery, providing additional business continuity and peace of mind.
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Managed I.T. Can Step In With Rapid Response Times During Security Threats
If you identify a cyber attack or vulnerability, your managed I.T. professionals at Response I.T. will address this issue with a speedy response time. This is very important as fast detection and mitigation will make a security breach less damaging.
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Pay Affordably for Superior Security Software, Protocols, and Personnel
Not only will your expert security team have industry knowledge, skills, and software, but they will have superior software and people on their team, so you know that you’re getting high-quality security at a rate you can afford. This will drastically improve your company’s security and help you keep up with the competition.
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Have a Team On-Hand for Security and I.T. Questions
Whether you’re looking to expand a part of your business or increase security around a section of it, you can go to your on-hand security specialists for help. They can support your business with the security concerns you have since you work with them regularly.
If you go with a local team, your security team will be able to come to your location to mitigate the threat.
What to Expect When Working With a Managed I.T. Security Service
In this growing digital era, more companies are hiring other businesses to perform critical services for their organizational health. From marketing consultants and outsourced HR, hiring a third-party managed service offer is very popular. It can help to offload a lot of the work it takes to manage these individual departments.
The same can be said for managed I.T. security. Outsourcing to an I.T. company that provides a managed service is just like having that I.T. department in-house, but you don’t have to determine how they run the department and the other aspects of human resource management.
A managed service I.T. partner connects with your stakeholders to identify the core values of your company’s I.T. needs and security needs and develop a plan moving forward. This means that you can get a very tailored solution at a more affordable rate than it would be to hire in-house.
Managed services are also very easy to work with. With managed services, you usually work within a set price and don’t have to negotiate with I.T. consultants around rates of project statuses regularly. Get one fixed price monthly and know that your company will get the important I.T. and security services it needs.
If you’re interested in managed I.T. security services in the Kingston area or remotely, reach out to Response I.T. today!