In an enterprise, security is constantly evolving regarding technology and threats. Keeping up with these changes requires constant monitoring and stress testing, as well as implementing new controls when they are appropriate. It can be an overwhelming task. Developing and sustaining a practical enterprise security framework can ease this burden.
Create a Security Policy
A security policy is a critical part of your organization’s security program. It’s designed to ensure that all your employees understand what security measures are necessary and how they work to protect your company and its assets.
It should be customized to your business needs, including the systems and processes used in your environment. Then it should be reviewed by your IT team and security team.
Your security policy should list all relevant local, state and federal laws and standards your organization must comply with.
The security policy should also specify the levels of authority that different organizational roles have over your organization’s information and IT systems. It helps to ensure that employees only accidentally access or share sensitive information with the proper authorization.
Finally, you should ensure that your security policy is enforceable at all levels of the organization. It requires a commitment from senior management, who must support the security efforts and commit to enforcing the policy at all times.
You’ll also want to ensure that your security policy is written so everyone can read and follow it. It will help increase the likelihood that your employees will comply with your policy and security programs in general. A CASB solution can solve security flaws in settings that use software-as-a-service (SaaS), platforms-as-a-service (PaaS), and infrastructure-as-a-service (IaaS). A CASB offers insight and enables enterprises to build new policies for cloud-specific contexts and expand the scope of their security policies from their current on-premises infrastructure to the cloud. CASBs have emerged as a crucial component of organizational security, enabling companies to access the cloud securely while safeguarding critical company data.
Invest in a Firewall
Firewalls protect your network from viruses, cyberattacks, and data breaches. They protect your business by monitoring network traffic and ensuring only authorized data is transmitted to and from your organization. Almost all organizations have hardware- or software-based firewalls to protect their networks. They can also be configured to restrict access to network resources based on specific policies and restrictions, such as those for certain data types or cloud services. Most businesses use a firewall to segment their networks by limiting access to data and files to those with the highest privilege level, such as C-level executives and managers. It helps simplify data security and ensures that the company’s most important data remains safe from malicious hackers or cybercriminals who may seek to steal the information. For most companies, the most significant benefit of a firewall is that it stops malware and other threats. These can include worms, Trojans, and viruses that infiltrate your system through a malicious email or link. Another advantage is that a firewall can help you control your business’s bandwidth. It can also help you set boundaries for incoming and outgoing data, such as what type of media content is permitted to enter the system.
Monitor Your Network
Network monitoring is a critical component of a company’s security strategy. It helps to detect and resolve any issues that could lead to network failures or cyberattacks before they become significant problems for your business. A company’s network infrastructure consists of various devices like routers, switches, wifi access points and servers that all connect to the internet to send and receive information. These components require careful configuration and maintenance to work efficiently and securely.
When these networks fail, businesses suffer severe losses, including lost revenue and customers. Additionally, employee productivity can be negatively affected due to frequent downtime. Therefore, it is essential to monitor all of these components to detect any potential problems before they happen and fix them as quickly as possible.
Another advantage of network monitoring is that it allows you to identify performance issues, such as throughput, latency, and bandwidth, so they can be resolved before they harm users. Aside from analyzing performance, network monitoring tools also help to uncover network security threats such as malware or suspicious use of resources. These solutions can also track audit trails that show where changes were made to a database or file and alert you when a questionable change is found.
Implement Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)
Multi-factor authentication (MFA) is an important security tool that can protect your business’s network from cybercriminals and hackers. It strengthens your organization’s cybersecurity by adding an extra layer of security and protecting sensitive data. MFA combines two or more factors, such as a password and a mobile device, to verify a user’s identity before granting access to a system. It also makes it much more difficult for hackers to access a user’s account. Businesses use MFA to safeguard customer information and meet industry standards, such as the PCI-DSS. It also increases consumer trust and loyalty by proving that your company cares about its security.
While the added verification step can sometimes seem annoying, consumers appreciate companies that do their best to protect their privacy and ensure their data is secure. The process can be automated with software that requires users to answer a security question or provide additional authentication factors, such as hardware tokens, SMS/text messages, call/email verification, and soft tokens. A successful MFA deployment combines the right technology and a firm security policy that can protect your business against cyber threats. It is essential to choose a solution that allows you to deploy and manage MFA easily across all your users without additional hardware or software, as well as a unified dashboard for monitoring and responding to user queries.
