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How to Enhance Your Enterprise Security

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Also, if you are interested in becoming an expert on Digital Transformation, take a look at Flevy's Digital Transformation Frameworks offering here. This is a curated collection of best practice frameworks based on the thought leadership of leading consulting firms, academics, and recognized subject matter experts. By learning and applying these concepts, you can you stay ahead of the curve. Full details here.

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The fact is that criminals and hackers are getting smarter and savvier all the time. They are always gaining new knowledge and tools to try to get data that will help them commit crimes. Your enterprise security must be robust enough to meet any security threats that could put you at risk. The right enterprise security strategies will keep your data safe and make hackers move on to the next target. If you haven’t done so recently, then it’s probably time for you to make some improvements. Here are some of the top ways to enhance your enterprise security.

Assess Your Entire Security Apparatus

Before you set upon improving your enterprise security system, you need to determine where your strengths and weaknesses lie. Document every security measure you have in place, and get a big picture view of the architecture of your security system. From there you can identify any gaps. Once you have everything documented, you can decide on the steps you need to take to improve your enterprise security and make it as strong as possible.To make your improvements effective, you need to know where they will have the most effect.

Passwords

Too many organizations leave it up to their employees to create their passwords and keep them secure. However, employees may not realize what constitutes a truly strong password. They also may not realize that having strong passwords that are listed on an unprotected spreadsheet are not actually secure.

Good password management is essential to properly protect your enterprise. Your best option might be to take it completely out of the hands of your staff. By using a password service, your staff can be assigned strong passwords that can then be kept in a secure program that can only be accessed with 2 factor authentication. It can be hard to track and manage everyone’s passwords and make sure they are strong and updated regularly. By using a service, you can make sure that you have the strongest passwords possible.

Training

Your staff probably don’t want to allow security breaches, but if they don’t have the right training, then it might be inevitable. It is a good idea to hold these trainings on a regular basis, since tactics for accessing secure data are constantly changing.

One of the most important training subjects you can offer is to prevent phishing. Phishing is the practise of trying to trick someone into giving up sensitive data that can then be used for financial gain. Email phishing is very common, and most people have gotten an email from a “Saudi prince” or a bank that tells them their card has been used fraudulently. The right training will help staff identify phishing attempts and avoid any negative consequences. You could have all of the best security software in your network, but if your staff isn’t prepared then it could all be for naught.

Providing a secure coding guide to your staff is also a good way to better secure your data.

Documentation

Make sure that everything can be documented and tracked. While you don’t necessarily want to surveil everything your staff does, you can keep track of how they are accessing your internet network, and what devices they are using. That way if a breach does occur, you can identify the source and make changes to fill the gap. You can keep metrics on the online behaviors of your staff, and coach them on best practises. Documentation and tracking is crucial for any enterprise security strategy. Otherwise you are operating in the dark.

Don’t Trust Anyone

This might seem harsh, but it’s true. You can only control how your organization handles data. If you are using third parties for anything, including vendors, you must be sure of how they handle secure information and work to prevent attacks. If a vendor does not take security seriously, then you may need to find another one to provide that service. Cyber attacks can come from many places, and if one of your partners opens up a suspicious email, you could end up being the victim of malware or phishing attempts.

Updated Software

Nowadays, every organization and workplace uses software to conduct their business. Sometimes it’s software that’s installed on a local computer or device, or it could be a cloud-based service software. You and your staff may be very comfortable using the same software for many years. If you are comfortable with it, then it can be hard to change, especially if it requires training. However, using old software can be dangerous. If it’s obsolete, then the vendor is most likely not providing security patches for it anymore. A good hacker can waltz through that gap and access your data. Make sure that the software you use gets updated regularly, and if the vendor has stopped providing updates, then it is time to find new software.

Test Your Staff

After you’ve installed your protective software and trained your staff, you can then test to make sure that you are secure. There’s no doubt that your staff already get phishing emails that hopefully go to their junkmail. However, you can send out your own phishing emails regularly to see if anyone will bite. Make them as convincing as possible, but still recognizable as phishing to keep them on their toes.

Don’t take your enterprise security for granted. Staying secure means constantly improving and patching up weaknesses in your apparatus. These are some of the best ways to improve your enterprise security and keep your data as secure as possible.

87-slide PowerPoint presentation
Securing the Path to Digital Transformation In today's hyperconnected landscape, digital transformation stands as the linchpin of strategic success for organizations striving to maintain competitiveness and operational excellence. The advent of cutting-edge technologies like cloud computing, [read more]

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Digital Transformation is being embraced by organizations of all sizes across most industries. In the Digital Age today, technology creates new opportunities and fundamentally transforms businesses in all aspects—operations, business models, strategies. It not only enables the business, but also drives its growth and can be a source of Competitive Advantage.

For many industries, COVID-19 has accelerated the timeline for Digital Transformation Programs by multiple years. Digital Transformation has become a necessity. Now, to survive in the Low Touch Economy—characterized by social distancing and a minimization of in-person activities—organizations must go digital. This includes offering digital solutions for both employees (e.g. Remote Work, Virtual Teams, Enterprise Cloud, etc.) and customers (e.g. E-commerce, Social Media, Mobile Apps, etc.).

Learn about our Digital Transformation Best Practice Frameworks here.

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About Shane Avron

Shane Avron is a freelance writer, specializing in business, general management, enterprise software, and digital technologies. In addition to Flevy, Shane's articles have appeared in Huffington Post, Forbes Magazine, among other business journals.


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