10 Ways to Improve Cybersecurity in Your Business

In today’s digital age, cybersecurity is paramount, with 22% of businesses and 14% of charities experiencing cybercrime in the past year. Protecting sensitive data and systems from malicious attacks is crucial to maintaining trust and ensuring the integrity of our interconnected world.

Why is Cybersecurity Important in Business?

Cybersecurity is crucial for businesses, with 65% already planning to increase their cybersecurity spending. No organisation is immune to cyber threats, regardless of size, industry or location. Cyber threats evolve constantly, making cybersecurity a continuous priority that executive management must recognise and address to ensure robust protection.

Source: Forbes

Why Should I Invest in Cybersecurity?

Investing in cybersecurity is essential as increasing data and network access creates new vulnerabilities for cybercriminals to exploit. The average cost of a US data breach has surged from $3.5 million in 2006 to $9.4 million in 2022, a 170% increase. With security software vendors generating over $45 billion in direct revenues, robust cybersecurity measures are crucial to protect against costly breaches and ensure data integrity.

Source: Morgan Stanley

How Can I Improve Cybersecurity in My Business?

Enhancing cybersecurity is vital for businesses to safeguard against increasing threats. Here are the top 10 tips to strengthen your organisation’s security, to protect your data and maintain operational integrity.

Sources: The National Cyber Security Centre & TechTarget

1.) Engaging Staff with Training on Cybersecurity

Engaging and training staff in cybersecurity is crucial for protection. People are central to any cybersecurity strategy, helping prevent and detect incidents. Building a positive cybersecurity culture and providing necessary skills through awareness and training not only safeguards your organisation but also shows you value your employees and their contributions. Notably, 80% of organisations reported that security awareness training reduced their staff’s susceptibility to phishing attacks.

2.) Have a Comprehensive Understanding of Asset Management

Understanding asset management is crucial for cybersecurity. Knowing your data, systems and their business purposes helps maintain essential knowledge of your assets. Incidents often arise from unpatched services, exposed storage accounts or misclassified documents. Comprehensive asset awareness enables you to address risks effectively and plan for upgrades, avoiding vulnerable legacy systems. Additionally, 80% of employees waste half an hour daily retrieving information, highlighting the importance of efficient asset management.

3.) Control Who Has Access to Passwords & Data

Controlling access to your data is crucial for cybersecurity. Proper access management ensures only authorised users or systems can reach sensitive data, making it harder for attackers to use stolen credentials, which are involved in 86% of breaches. Effective identity and access management balances security with user convenience.

4.) Protect Data when Vulnerable

Protecting data at its most vulnerable is crucial to prevent unauthorised access, modification or deletion, as 95% of data breaches result from human error. This includes securing data in transit, at rest and at end-of-life. With the rise of tailored ransomware attacks, maintaining up-to-date, isolated offline backups is essential. Ensure protections and obtain assurances from third parties handling your data.

5.) Update Security Policies

Updating security policies is vital for improving cybersecurity. Outdated policies may not address the latest technologies, threats or best practices like zero-trust architectures. Security policies are the foundation for enterprise security. Ensure policies are current, practices are updated and employees are trained to comply. In 2023, only 31% of organisations applied software security updates within 14 days, highlighting the lack of urgency in regards to updating security policies.

6.) Require Strong Authentication for Users

Requiring strong authentication is crucial for improving cybersecurity. Cyberattacks often exploit compromised accounts to access internal resources. Implementing MFA, like smart cards with PINs or biometrics, can effectively stop many attacks. If MFA for all users isn’t feasible, enforce strong passwords and MFA for privileged access. Two-step verification via SMS is reported to stop 100% of automated attacks, 96% of bulk phishing and 75% of targeted attacks.

7.) Prepare for Data Compromises

Preparing for cyber compromises is crucial to improve cybersecurity. Breaches are inevitable, so readiness reduces damage. Equip your business to detect incidents early with the right technology and employee education on recognising and reporting suspicious activity. Foster a culture of honesty to ensure transparency, as basic security hygiene can protect against 98% of attacks.

8.) Encourage Employees to be Skeptical of Outside Sources

Encouraging employees to be skeptical of outside sources enhances cybersecurity. With an estimated 3.4 billion spam emails sent daily, verifying the legitimacy of communications is crucial. Always do a sanity check before opening attachments, clicking links or providing sensitive data. Confirm suspicious requests directly with the sender to avoid phishing and other deceptive attacks.

9.) Encourage the Use of Secure Networks

Encouraging the use of secure networks is crucial for improving cybersecurity. Regularly refreshing network security controls ensures they meet current needs, especially for hybrid workforces. Upgrading firewalls and VPN gateways, monitoring network traffic and adopting cloud-based security solutions enhance protection. Notably, 33.3% of VPN users employ them exclusively for business purposes, emphasising their importance in maintaining secure access.

10.) Hire a Cybersecurity Keynote Speaker to Educate Your Workforce

Hiring an expert cybersecurity keynote speaker can significantly enhance cybersecurity. These experts provide valuable insights, up-to-date knowledge on emerging threats and effective strategies for protection. Their expertise can inspire and educate employees, fostering a proactive security culture and empowering your organisation to better defend against cyberattacks and vulnerabilities.

Here at The Cybersecurity Speakers Agency, we are experts in providing the most prestigious keynote speakers on cybersecurity for elite clients. Collecting official market research from over 457 cybersecurity awareness events, we have collated our exclusive selection of the top five cybersecurity speakers to hire to help you better your cybersecurity practices in the workplace:

1.) Professor Dame Wendy Hall – The Regius Professor of Computer Science at the University of Southampton

2.) Charlie McMurdie – Former Head of the Police Central e-Crime Unit for the Metropolitan Police

3.) Brian Wagner – Chief Technology Officer of Defense.com & Bulletproof, Former Head of Compliance in Financial Services for Amazon Web Services

4.) Greg van der Gaast – Security Advisor to the Office of the CTO of CDW UK & Former Notorious Hacker

5.) Sarah Armstrong-Smith – Chief Security Advisor EMEA of Microsoft

Hire a Cybersecurity Speaker to Improve Your Cybersecurity Practices Today!

If you are on a mission to improve the cybersecurity capabilities of your organisation, then follow the guidance of this exclusive guide, or hire a powerful cybersecurity keynote speaker today! To hire a cybersecurity speaker, contact one of The Cybersecurity Speakers Agency’s dedicated booking agents by calling 0203 0070 318 or complete our online contact form now!