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. As a business owner myself, all I can say is that I’ve been there, and I totally get it. And while AI tools are starting to help with some of that load, for now they still need a human who knows enough to spot a risky shortcut or bad advice.
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.
- Device Health Monitoring: IT professionals will use a “RMM” to alert them when there is a problem with any piece of equipment in the office, which helps us spot issues early. If you are not ready to pay for professional grade monitoring, be sure to take advantage of the built-in controls in Windows and Apple’s operating system.
- 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.
- Data Loss Risk Mitigation: 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 & MFA: Multi-factor authentication is a pain in the you-know-what. That being said, it is also one of the most effective ways to keep hackers from gaining access to user accounts.
- VPN & Encryption: Traditional VPNs are being phased out in favor of zero-trust solutions that focus more on endpoint security. If you rely heavily on VPNs in your business and you have a lot of high-risk data, it’s time to think about a change.
- Employee Training: There are a lot of good videos out there about how to spot phishy emails to help keep your network safe, and we now have AI-assisted phishing attacks that are making it even more difficult to spot. 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 some kind of multi-factor authentication on 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.