How To DIY A Secure IT Network
A lot of entrepreneurs start out having to do pretty much everything in their business, hoping to get to the day when they can hire the help they need to offload the things they like least about operating a business. As a business owner myself, all I can say is that I’ve been there, and I totally get it.
If you are not ready to hire someone to take over your IT operations, here is a list of the items we set up for our clients to improve the security of their network.
Top 10 IT Must Haves To Safeguard Your Office
- Business-class router: Investing in a true business-class router is critical to ensure you have the right performance, reliability, and improved protection against cyberattacks. Using hard-wired connections is the more secure approach, but if you have to use Wi-Fi, make sure to use encryption and passwords to protect your network and data.
- Anti-virus Software: A good one will help identify cyber-attacks that either get past the router’s firewall or are caused by the user clicking on the wrong link. We use the products from Trend Micro and Bitdefender.
- Software Updates: Many software updates are designed to patch security holes, so ensure they are allowed to run automatically.
- Remote Monitoring Solution: IT professionals will use a “RMM” to alert them when there is a problem with any piece of equipment in the office, and it is crucial to spotting issues early. We use Atera’s solution, which is very popular in the industry.
- Offsite Backups: This is the cornerstone of any Disaster Recovery Plan. Having a complete copy of all of your data stored in a system that is isolated from your network will ensure that you can get back up and running quickly if you get ransomwared.
- Control Your Data: Setting up policies and systems that prevent your staff from making copies of your data will help minimize the risk of intentional or unintentional disclosure of sensitive information.
- Passwords & 2FA: Two-factor authentication is a pain in the you-know-what. It is also one of the most effective ways to keep hackers from gaining access to user accounts.
- VPN & Encryption: If your staff is accessing your systems remotely, you need to have a good VPN solution in place to keep the hackers out.
- Employee Training: There are a lot of good videos out there about how to spot phishy emails to help keep your network safe. Training your staff on how to avoid them is an important piece of the puzzle.
- Disaster Recovery Plan: Having a written plan on how to recover from a cyber attack can make the difference between surviving if and losing your business. Take the time to put a plan together.
Okay, I get it. That sounds like a lot of work, and if you are just getting started in your business, you may not see everything on the list as a top priority. If you don’t have time to do everything on the list, I would recommend the anti-virus software and offsite backups as the place to start. I would also recommend setting up two-factor authentication on all of your critical systems since it is highly effective against remote access attempts by hackers.
Do you need help setting up your cybersecurity or with your general IT support? Book a free consultation with me to discuss the steps you can take to make it happen.