ENTERPRISE TECHNOLOGY
major threat to your network security, then
third-party users are at least as dangerous.
Allowing third-party contractors network
access increases the number of system
access points, and in turn creates more
potential entry locations for malicious
attacks.If you work with contracted
employees or agencies, never allow them
more data access than is absolutely
necessary. At the same time, carefully
evaluate any contractors before you commit
to work with them. If they are compliant
with regulatory requirements, and if they
follow effective security policies, they’ll be
less likely to turn into a liability.
a cursory glance. To make sure that employees are contributing
to network security, provide on-going security-policy training,
including what to do in real-life situations. Also, keep a security-
policy expert on-hand, so that when users need further clarification
they have someone they can go to.
7. ALWAYS BACKUP YOUR DATA
One important thing to remember about digital information is that
it can be copied. This means that at any given point in time, your
organisation can create a backup – essentially a detailed snapshot –
of your network data. By then maintaining that data separate from
the rest of your network, you’ll have a recent version of your data to
fall back on in the event of a damaging cyberattack. Despite this, only
about half (51%) of businesses keep a data back up and only 36% of
enterprises back up their business data completely. Regularly back
up your entire network, so that no single breach has the capacity to
completely obliterate the information your company depends on.
8. DON’T FORGET ABOUT THIRD-PARTY USERS
Many businesses outsource to third-party contractors and that
often means that those contractors need some level of access to the
organisation’s network. That said, if internal employees represent a
INTELLIGENT TECH CHANNELS
Issue 21
If you want to keep
your network secure
in 2019 and beyond,
don’t let your
compliance slip.
9. EDUCATE YOUR USERS
Network security best practices can help
you create an effective plan of defence for
your vital data, but if your users aren’t doing
their part, then your network will always
be vulnerable. This means that if you want
to secure your data, you need to secure the
users who access it. Train your employees on
how to recognise and report specific threats,
create strong passwords, and use and access
data correctly. Your security best practices
are only as good as those who follow them.
Educate your employees on how to protect
your network, and you’ll have another
reliable line of defence between your data
and the threats that could compromise it.
Prevention is always the best
network security plan
By the time you discover that your
organisation has suffered a data breach, the
damage will have already been done. This
is why it’s so important to prepare ahead of
time. After all, in terms of network security,
an ounce of prevention is worth far more
than a pound of cure.
To help your organisation develop an
effective security posture to deal with any
threat that comes your way, check out
Gigamon intrusion prevention solutions,
and secure the network data that supports
your business.
23