by Lisa Brown, CEO and Founder of CST Group Inc., a Technology Managed Service Provider specializing insecurity and compliance.
We are “Passionate NOT Pushy”about your technology.
When you live a busy life, you prioritize based on “need” and “noise” but even those things you consider low maintenance or low priority need attention eventually.
Let me explain. Shawn is crazy about our yard. He doesn’t necessarily love to mow, weed whack, and fertilize but he loves the outcome and takes pride in making sure our home looks amazing. This is why I surrounded our home with perennial plants, perennial flowers, and a solid base of mulch because this girl does not want to weed, pull or maintain any of it. I want it to look beautiful without a huge amount of maintenance.
However, low maintenance does not mean NO maintenance. Last weekend, as Shawn was mowing the grass, I took a walk around our home only to realize there were more weeds than plants.
So, I got busy with our four-wheeler, wagon and garden tools. Four hours later, I had a full wagon of weeds and grass stains on my knees.
How did I let it go unattended for this long without noticing? Because those weeds didn’t make noise or call out to me or complain. They simply grew with no care of where they were or how they were affecting my beautiful flowers. I didn’t realize how intrusive they were until I started to pay attention to them.
This is how I feel about protecting clients from cyber security risks. Hackers are lurking in the background, quiet, silent, not intrusive at all. Most of you have no idea they are even there stealing your data and planting files that will one day corrupt your data. It isn’t until they make noise that you pay attention. Even with the state and federal government barking at you to implement cyber security precautions, you still don’t. Your insurance provider should be prompting you to get cyber liability insurance which requires all sorts of safety measures and yet, you don’t act.
So, what must happen for you to put cyber security at the top of your priority list? Instead of waiting for your data to disappear or a hacker to infiltrate, this is me….making NOISE and asking you to prioritize cyber security precautions right NOW.
To make this easy for you, here is a list of seven cyber security precautions that should be in place now to ensure you are meeting the compliance guidelines and protecting your business.
Proactive monitoring and maintenance – not just antivirus/anti ransom software.
Endpoint detection and response software – a watchdog to “bark” if something does get through.
Automatic updates, scans, and patches – the Windows environment gets constant updates and patches. Make sure those are downloaded and installed.
Security Awareness Training – this is a must for cyber insurance and should be automated and reportable.
Password management – complex passwords are a must to keep your accounts safe and writing it down on a post-it or notebook is no longer acceptable.
MFA – Two Factor Authentication on ALL Accounts.
Hardware Managed Firewall – you should have a wall between your internet connection and your computers, and this hardware needs to be monitored for malicious access.
Now these seven things are the MINIMUM of what you should have in place! Depending on your industry and needs, there are a few other things you should have. Reach out to me or contact your IT provider to ensure you are covered.
If you are wondering how susceptible your company is to risk, CST does offer penetration tests to determine risk levels. Reach out if you want to learn more.
As always,
“Passionate NOT Pushy”
Lisa
If you’re curious about your technology and cyber security strategy meeting your needs, CST Group is available to discuss your business. Call (518) 483-4100 to book a free consultation or visit cstsupport.com to learn more.