1. A foolproof data breach response plan
We can’t stress this enough: every piece of data that is created and stored within IT infrastructures is as precious as diamonds. Data’s valuable, it can be shiny (you know, depending on the brightness of your screen), and it can also be used to improve organisations’ decision-making procedures and help them plan for a more innovative future.
That’s also where the problem is. Data breaches – when highly sensitive information is leaked outside of an organisation – are one of several ways an SME can experience a cyber security incident.
They can be accidental or deliberate, which is why they can be such a pain to deal with when they happen. A cyber security analyst can help clients develop a comprehensive data breach response plan to lay out and standardise a set of processes that businesses can follow to reduce the severity of the breach and recover from it quickly.
2. Foster organisational cyber security awareness
Healthy cyber security awareness is awesome, amazing, spectacular, iconic… there are a whole lot of words we can use, but we’ll stick with “vital”. Human error causes 95% of security breaches, and contrary to popular belief, everyone is capable of overlooking security measures. It’s not something business leaders can blame on entry-level staff – it’s everyone’s responsibility to uphold digital safety best practices.
A cyber security analyst can advise an organisation on the latest cyber security awareness solutions and practices. Whether they offer a cyber security awareness training program or they’re just a phone call away to answer questions about how to keep emails secure, cyber security professionals can educate clients on the importance of cyber security and help them understand how to prevent security incidents from happening.
3. Secure endpoint management
We get it. We’re huge fans of cloud technology and the benefits it provides SMEs – that’s a hill we’ll stand on come rain, hail, or shine. But, making company data accessible via the internet and from multiple mobile devices means that IT networks have a harder time staying secure.
Think of it this way, endpoints (e.g., laptops, tablets, etc.) are like portable entry doors into business’ systems. The more they move around, the more exposure they get to cybercriminals piggybacking off networks like public Wi-Fi. In this way, companies are more likely to be breached.
A cyber security analyst can help organisations safeguard their endpoints by administering cyber security solutions such as multi-factor authentication, application management, and a lot more. They can also factor endpoints into a data breach response plan, guaranteeing that any cyber security strategy is truly reflective of the business’s IT infrastructure.
4. Conduct and maintain data backups
We’re going to circle back around to the diamond comparison from before because we’re pretty proud of it. Owning one diamond (read as “one copy of data”) is good. Owning multiple diamonds (by that, we mean “multiple copies of data”) is even better. Why? Because if you lose one diamond, you still have the others to fall back on.
Mariah Carey has more than one diamond (we promise no more diamond talk after this), so we highly recommend SMEs follow suit. A cyber security analyst can perform timely backups of client data and store it in a secure location. This way, if an organisation’s system goes down or information somehow becomes lost, there’s another copy to use, ensuring reputations are kept and legal ramifications are avoided.
5. Eagle-eyed network monitoring and risk assessments
Bolster cyber security awareness with a Sydney-based cyber security analyst
Cyber security is an incredibly important issue for SMEs, and the best way to tackle it is to make sure everyone on the team is on board with the mission. A cyber security analyst can help clients better understand the risks of the digital era and can develop dynamic strategies, such as a data breach response plan, to keep systems safe and sound.
A cyber security analyst from Atarix is a highly experienced individual that can help SMEs keep their data and employees away from malicious actors. Attention, SMEs! Reach out to Atarix today to secure business operations and boost profitability.