Improving network security is crucial for protecting sensitive data and ensuring the smooth operation of any organization.
Here are some of the steps which can ensure a safe and secure network.
1. Conduct Regular Network Audits
Regularly auditing your network helps identify vulnerabilities and areas that need improvement. These include reviewing current configurations on firewalls, ensuring that firewalls have the latest threat definitions, and running the latest available firmware’s. Ensuring antiviruses are enabled and running latest definitions and ensuring backups and reviewed and tested on a regular basis to ensure backups are in a functional state and can be used in the event of a critical business outage.
2. Keep Software Updated
Ensuring businesses have a good, functioning patch management policy. End user desktop are updated regularly to the latest security patches and windows versions. 3rd party software is kept up to date to ensure any discovered vulnerabilities are removed which may lead to an attack.
3. Use Strong Authentication Methods
Implement Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) to add the extra layer of security when end users are out of the office or within the walls of the organization. Insisting users use MFA to use any business application, those include Office 365 as well as VPN connectivity when working remotely.
4. Install and Maintain Firewalls
Hardware firewalls act as the barrier between your internal network and the world wide web. Those include devices such as SonicWALL, FortiGate and Sophos. Ensuring a good functioning hardware firewall with advances threat management is key to preventing unwanted access to your network.
5. Educate Employees
Train employees on the importance of network security and best practices, such as recognizing phishing attempts and using strong passwords. Password such as “password” or “123456” should not be used in any organisation. Using a secure password which would comprise of an uppercase, numbers and random characters, what we would describe as alphanumeric and be 8 or more characters long would be the accepted norm for any password.
7. Implement a VPN when working remotely.
A Virtual Private Network (VPN) encrypts internet connections to the organization, making it more difficult for attackers to intercept data. Allowing unauthorized access through applications such as TeamViewer or AnyDesk allows any external threats the ability to gain unauthorized access to your business and allowing threats such as Ransomware the ability to encrypt your business data.
8. Regularly Backup Data
Implement a 3-2-1 backup rule. This backup rule is a data security technique that involves creating 3 copies of your data, storing them in 2 different media types as well as keeping one offsite, be it via external USB hard drive or through tape technology.
The backup rule revolves around the following criteria:
- Create one primary backup and two copies of your data.
- Save your backups to two different types of media, onsite NAS as well as Cloud storage.
- Keep at least one backup offsite via an external drive which is rotated daily.
9. Monitor Network Traffic
Continuously monitor network traffic for unusual activity that could indicate a security breach. Invest or partner in solutions such as a SOC (Security Operations Centre) which will do the continuous monitoring of your networks from an external basis 24/7 when you are not available or do not have the budget to employ a team to do so.
10. Implement Strong Access Controls
Limit access to sensitive data and systems to only those employees who need it to perform their job duties. Ensuring permissions to company data is set through a granular process and not just allowing everyone access to critical business data.
By reviewing and implementing these strategies, organizations can significantly enhance their network security and protect against a wide range of cyber threats.
