25 Aug 5 Tips for Securing Your Company Network
How do you secure your company network?
- Utilize strong network encryption
- Make use of a VPN
- Install antivirus software
- Incorporate a high-level firewall
- Train your employees
Everything connected to the internet is vulnerable to attacks. Cybersecurity providers and other stakeholders are ensuring that they’re introducing only the latest technology to act against and prevent attacks from taking place. Likewise, those who have malicious intentions are always adopting sound practices to weaken a business’s cybersecurity level. As such, every company must take the right measures in securing their company network.
Utilize strong network encryption
Most internet service providers nowadays see to it that every wireless network that they install is encrypted. In some cases, however, it’s possible that this step is not done correctly. Being part of any organization can make your network vulnerable to cybersecurity attacks like phishing or spying. As such, you need to make sure that your company network is making use of secure encryption.
WPA2 is your best bet when it comes to network encryption. Simply put, it has set the standard for network security through minimizing the risks present in shared passwords, stamping out spying, and implementing other enhanced security protocols. Encryption is done through the Advanced Encryption Standard, also known as the AES, to offer maximum network security. Though configuring WPA2 encryption requires you to come up with a longer password, this further optimizes the network scheme’s safety.
Make use of a VPN
You may have already encountered the term VPN, and you might already have a basic idea of it. In Layman’s terms, this nifty tool is used to mask or hide people’s internet activity. A VPN or a virtual private network assigns you with a different IP address so that your activities cannot be tracked online.
Think about employing this technology on a much larger scale for your organization. Since many people are engaging in work from home arrangements, they’ll be taking with them their mobile devices such as smartphones, tablets, and company-issued laptops.
Without the security presented by a remote network, your employees can just as easily compromise their online exchanges due to the increased visibility. By using a VPN file-sharing of sensitive, company-related information can be done in a much safer way without any danger of data leaks.
Install antivirus software
A company’s IT assets are crucial for the smooth flow of operations. Aside from regularly upgrading hardware, it’s also essential that each computer or laptop be fitted with antivirus software. Not having this kind of protection can endanger your company’s entire shared network, so it’s always your best bet to install dedicated antivirus protection.
Though there are many types of antivirus software in the market, choose the one that can provide your network with comprehensive endpoint security. Antivirus software prevents the virus from corrupting files on your computer or altering programs such as word processors, online browsers, and the like.
For example, suppose one of your employees mistakenly downloads any type of suspicious file on the internet. In that case, the software can efficiently act and prevent it from spreading on a much larger scale. Furthermore, antivirus software is capable of real-time scanning of all the files in a given computer. They’re able to spot weak points in order to provide you with suggestions on how you can optimize your device.
Incorporate a high-level firewall
Your company’s antivirus software should also be integrated with a high-level firewall that can protect multiple devices connected to the company network at any given time.
Many types of firewalls in the market, such as Direc Business’s FortiGate Next-Generation Firewall, can be integrated with already-existing antivirus software, so no complicated modifications have to be made just to accommodate the firewall.
With FortiGate, your company will be equipped with robust firewall protection that you won’t find anywhere else. It intercepts potential attacks even before they endanger the network. Apart from this, it also adds additional security for web browsers, such as SSL inspection, automatic threat detection, elimination, and web filtering.
Train your employees
Finally, it’s vital that every employee involved in the company be trained on cybersecurity. This is the simplest way for them to understand the basic principles, be aware of risks, and provide innovative solutions in improving cybersecurity practices that are implemented in your organization.
To give another example, it’s essential to make your employees aware of the different types of phishing attacks that they may encounter as they’re going about their regular work routines. Companies should be able to give them a breather on how to differentiate between legitimate and fraudulent emails that they may receive adequately. This is a simple way for them to avoid unnecessarily giving out personal information that can endanger an entire company’s security.
Training shouldn’t just take place in one day. For the best results, every employee should be subject to a regular ongoing assessment. This will allow them to understand the latest practices in the ever-changing world of cybersecurity.
Key Takeaway
One of the best practices in securing your company network includes using strong network encryption, installing antivirus software in network assets, incorporating a firewall, and training employees in primary and comprehensive cybersecurity concepts.
As mentioned before, new and unprecedented network security threats can arise on any given day. For organizations to be able to secure themselves, they need to be up-to-date regarding their techniques. Using a combination of the right technical know-how and useful software is always a good cybersecurity starting point.