10 Steps to Follow for a Stronger Data Management for Cybersecurity

Any business can fall victim to cyberattacks imposed by hackers, ransomware, and insider threats. Cybersecurity or information technology security is designed to protect systems, devices, networks, and data from malicious attacks.

Businesses must opt for strict cybersecurity measures to secure their programs and data from theft, and internet-borne attacks. Having strong data management for cybersecurity helps keep track of the attackers and their intentions.

The goal is not just to keep the hackers out of your networks but to have threat deterrence. Therefore, you can actively track network activities and also detect threats, and trace their source.

Business organizations can tremendously benefit from IT services to facilitate smooth tech operations. Apart from offering data security management, their services also include:

• Product engineering
• Cloud and DevOps
• Web development
• Data backup
• Firewall services
• Cybersecurity programs
• SaaS
• IT development.

Based on your business requirements, you can selectively pick tools and services offered by them.

Let us get straight into the steps to follow for strong data security management.

Based on the data types, business organizations must follow data compliance regulations to gather, manage, and store data against theft, corruption, and misuse.

The regulations must clearly state which data requires protection, the processes it involves, and charge penalties if someone fails to adhere to the rules.

With the increase in the number of data breaches, customers look forward to associating themselves with companies practicing strict compliance regulations.

Cybersecurity policy outlines guidance for data transfer, access to systems, defining the rule for personal or company access, email security, among many others. It serves as evidence to determine the credibility and the reputation of the organization.

Companies, in general, are expected to meet minimum standards of data security management. With a detailed cybersecurity plan, you can communicate within the organization effectively.

A proxy server gives the user freedom to browse the internet anonymously. It hides the IP address and enables geographical content restrictions.

A VPN service provides an encrypted connection between the device and the network. It helps transfer sensitive data securely. It also provides secure access to company resources for remote work.

Both proxies and VPNs offer high levels of data and user information security to IT companies, even for personal use.

Companies use both proxies and VPNs to extract content and data from a website. Proxies are helpful to conduct market research, build brand presence, and analytics.

If you have access to content on the internet, it is easy to scrap them. Businesses are adopting SEO-friendly websites to engage with their competitors.

The drawback is that even illegal users can get access to data online and duplicate website content. Hence, it is better to seek the help of agencies to build an authentic brand presence.

Antivirus software is an automated tool that scans, detects, prevents, and removes malware from a computer. There are three different methods to detect cyber threats such as heuristic-based, signature-based, and behavioral-based.

You must have access to the latest AV software to detect all kinds of viruses including spyware, trojans, worms, ransomware, adware, etc. It is better to use antivirus software as a part of online security cleanse than to solely rely upon it for data protection.

Businesses can do four things to make good use of the software:

• Research on its features, and check if it is a paid or free version.
• Schedule a particular time and frequency for updates.
• Activate daily scans when the system is not in use.
• Be mindful of granting access to websites.

Password management is crucial for cybersecurity. Poor password practices majorly account for data breaches. Passwords are not going anywhere even after the arrival of biometrics.

Password management tools control sharing of information, provide two-factor authentication, create complex passwords, and update system data automatically. It also alerts when you visit a phishing site and protects your identity.

Read more about two-factor authentication (2FA) for Atlassian products in our article.

Companies are bound to face data breaches at some point in time. It is important to prepare for data breach scenarios in advance. If you happen to lose confidential data without any backup, the damage can be irreparable.

The best way to manage system data is to encrypt, back up, and store them offline. Businesses must always have a recovery plan to handle theft or misuse of data. Even better to store them in a remote area away from the business locale.

If you happen to delete any files by accident or fall victim to a ransomware attack, a secure backup of files can help speed up the recovery process.

Your digital security level is just as good as your software update. The reason why your systems must be patched and updated is that hackers somehow find ways to target old software versions.

The latest version of software fixes computer bugs and patches, adds new features and eliminates outdated ones. It just doesn’t end with one detected system because business parties share and receive files constantly. It takes one corrupted file to take down the whole system completely.

Software updates help find the security holes and keep security threats at bay.

Data encryption is a security method that prevents malicious parties from accessing your data. In the literal sense, even if they gain access to it, encryption makes intercepting difficult for hackers.

When a user encrypts the file, the information is converted into a code that can be accessed or decrypted only by the user with the correct key. There is symmetric and asymmetric encryption which means the same key can be used to encrypt or decrypt the files.

Data encryption aids in protecting intellectual property, maintaining data integrity and making businesses strictly adhere to regulations.

Data access control is a method used to regulate access to files in an organization. It determines who has the privilege to access certain files. It provides the flexibility to grant or deny access based on the business needs.

Access control maintains high system performance and saves more time than encryption. Authentication and authorization are two key components that contribute to strong access control.

Employees must be trained to detect cyber attacks just as much as the employers and other members of any organization. To prevent a data breach or cyberattack, knowledge in cybersecurity and information technology are extremely important.

An insider threat is nothing but a human error caused within an organization mostly because of the lack of identifying the threat in the first place.

Cybersecurity training programs must be an ongoing journey to be aware of the latest threats and prevention methods. The aim is not just to train the employees but to make them do what they should do to avoid cyberattacks.

To spot and take actions against cyberattacks, businesses must keep in mind who has the authority to manage data, and how to revoke it once it reaches unauthorized users.

Companies face both internal and external threats. Therefore, monitoring the employees is just as important as being cautious about external malicious attacks.

Not just that, any business organization must identify its weakness and constantly strive to improve its security.