Most Effective Practices for Staying Malware-Free

A big chunk of business work is probably performed online these days. From bookkeeping to interacting with the audience and marketing to increase customer base, you will likely be using your office network considerably. For efficient data processing and storage, securing that network is what you can and must do.

Use Complicated Passwords to Encrypt Every Access Point

Leaving devices operating on passwords that come with the hardware is the worst possible thing to do. These passwords are easy to crack for hackers. So make complex passwords, the ones that have nothing to do with your company, for its access points. Do not write these passwords anywhere fearing that you might forget these sometime. Make it a point to educate your workers on password management and ways to identify phishing scams.

Be Sure to Keep Your Antivirus Updated

Antivirus providers release updates with features, which are designed to improve the program’s functionality. You have to install these updates for it because new viruses keep cropping up, and you must protect your network from harm. Depending on your business software and electronic devices, this process is going to be a little bit different; still, look for the latest virus signatures to download and install from time to time. After all, what is the point of having one such software if it’s capabilities to identify malware and tackle it are out of date? This is why you must make sure that it is up to date.

Besides, look at the settings of the program routinely to check whether all these are as good as possible. Configure a scan schedule, and do not forget to look for anything suspicious in the scan results and take prompt action whenever required.

Limit Sharing of Data to One Server

The more network devices with file sharing turned on, the more exposed your network will be to the possibility of being attacked by intruders. Having one secure system for file sharing is the ideal solution. Thus, unauthorized access can be rather easily monitored. Directly connecting other systems to that server might be required some time, or hosting some data on a different system might be needed shortly. Either way, ensure that it’s just temporary, and an expert educates you on ways to perform it securely.

Have and Update Many Backups on a Regular Basis

The worst feeling a business person can have is to realize they’ve lost critical information. Adequate and proper documentation is among the most important parts of management. Starting over without important documents like records and contracts, will put an organization at an extremely disadvantageous position. By having the right backup system ready for use, like for instance a cloud with physical backup combination, will keep that from happening. Be sure to configure cloud storage permission well by providing read/write access for a specific set of files only to people who require it. This will reduce the possibility of tampering with data unilaterally.

Get Private IP Addresses

Does your company use Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol? If it uses DCHP, then think about switching to non-internet facing addresses. This change will assign specific IPs to network devices, and will facilitate in identifying unauthorized people connecting to the network, thereby securing it.

The capability to immediately recognize and tackle malicious and unauthorized activity on the network, or the lack of it thereof, can be the factor that determines whether a major intrusion is prevented or whether your customer information is hacked. The last thing you want is to deal with a ransomware, which threatens to disclose your whole business data.