Cyber Security Awareness Month: 6 tips to improve your business' Cyber Security

With October being National Cyber Security Awareness Month, it seemed like a good chance to discuss some of the ways in which you can improve your business’ cyber security. Cyber Security Awareness Month is an international initiative that aims to educate people about cyber safety and reminds us that there are simple ways to help protect yourself and your business from online threats. Having an effective cyber security strategy in place safeguards your business and employees but also your customers. Data breaches can be costly from a financial perspective but are also a very quick way to lose the trust of your customers.
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1. Network Security

Firewalls, antivirus software and intrusion detection systems play a crucial role in protecting your network. It is important that your firewall settings are correctly configured, and that your antivirus and intrusion detection systems are kept updated. Here at CloudConnX we have many years of experience in implementing secure private networks for businesses across many sectors. If this is something we can support you with please reach out to a member of the team.
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2. Implement staff cyber security training

Your employees are your first line of defence against many cyberattacks. Many breaches happen as a result of human error, such as employees being caught out by phishing scams. It can be very beneficial to regularly educate your employees about how to identify suspicious emails or links, the importance of strong passwords, secure Internet browsing habits and the safe use of public Wi-Fi and personal devices in the workplace.
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3. Password policies across the business including Multifactor Authentication (MFA)

Weak or reused passwords remain one of the most common vulnerabilities for businesses. Encourage your employees to use strong passwords that include: 

• A combination of letters, numbers and symbol. 
• At least 12-16 characters. 
• No easily guessed information such as names or birthdays. 

It can be good practice to implement a company-wide password manager. This enables employees to generate and store complex passwords without having to remember them all. Having software like this in place also reduces the temptation for employees to reuse passwords. 

Where possible, traditional passwords should always be supported by Multi-factor Authentication (MFA). Multi-factor authentication is an effective way to add an extra layer of security to your business accounts and individual employees accounts. Multi-factor Authentication requires two or more verification factors to gain access to an account. Most commonly this includes a traditional password as well as a one-time code only accessed from a verified device. Biometric verification can also be used to protect the most critical accounts. MFA makes it significantly harder for attackers to breach accounts, even if they obtain a password. Critical accounts such as email, financial and cloud services should all be protected by MFA.
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4. Plan for the event that a cyber breach does occur

A cyber security strategy or plan encourages your business to identify your weakest points that are most vulnerable to a breach, prioritise threats, and outline how you will protect business critical data. An incident response plan should also form part of your cyber security strategy. No matter how secure your systems are, breaches can still happen. Having an incident response plan in place can help your business respond quickly and effectively. Key elements of an incident response plan include: 

• Defining the roles and responsibilities of your incident response team. 
• Steps for identifying, containing, and mitigating a breach. 
• Communication protocols for informing stakeholders, including customers and legal authorities. 
• Post-incident evaluation to learn from the event and improve future defences. 

Your incident response plan should be reviewed regularly and updated to ensure it remains in line with current threats and business operations.  
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5. Regularly backup your data

Regular backups are crucial for mitigating the damage caused by cyberattacks, particularly ransomware. A robust backup plan ensures that, in the event of a breach or data loss, your business can quickly recover. Best practices for data backups include: 

• Automating backups to occur daily or weekly, depending on your needs. 
• Storing backups in multiple locations, such as in the cloud and on physical devices. 
• Regularly testing backups to ensure that data can be successfully restored. 

In the event of a cyber incident, having up-to-date backups can minimize downtime and reduce recovery costs. If you would like support in implementing a robust data backup strategy for your business this is something we can help you with, just reach out to a member of the team (call 0330 122 0550 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.). You can read more about our data backup solution, Best Backup Recall, here.  

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6. Ensure software is up to date

Outdated software can contain vulnerabilities that cybercriminals exploit. Keep your operating systems, software, and hardware up to date by:

• Installing patches and updates as soon as they're released.
• Enabling automatic updates where possible.
• Routiney reviewing the security features of third-party software.

By staying current with software updates, you reduce the risk of being targeted by attackers exploiting known security flaws.

We hope that this blog post gives you some guidance as to the steps you can take to enhance the cyber security of your business. If there is anything we can do to help, please reach out to a member of the team on 0330 122 0550, or email us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Our team of experts have decades of experience in implementing cyber security measures across a number of sectors, including private network solutions, disaster recovery and data backup.