If 2020 taught us anything, it’s that life and business are unpredictable. Fortunately, the new year is a sign of a fresh start for a majority of companies. And that means new goals, resolutions and successes, which include cybersecurity. 

The technology shift in working remotely brought a slew of vulnerabilities and concerns involving data security. There was a 159% increase in remote work which caused a record number of hacks and data breaches. These attacks were more sophisticated and added to pandemic-related anxieties rather than financial fraud or extortion. Not only were these actions concerning, but it made IT directors question how well they were securing company data in the first place. As we move forward into 2021, securing data throughout the whole year, keeping consistent with goals and resolutions concerning cybersecurity, is a must. Here is what we know about the eight resolutions your business must act on for the next twelve months: 

The In’s and Out’s of Cybersecurity – You Can’t Go Overboard

Not only did business owners have to worry about the health and safety of their employees, the potential downfall or survival of their enterprise, but they also had to worry about exposing critical data to cybercriminals. The pandemic exposed a multitude of vulnerabilities once employees started to work from home. In fact, 47% of individuals fell for phishing scams while working from home. 

For some companies, IT leaders obsessed over cybersecurity as business data was at risk. They feared this vulnerable data could end up in the wrong hands and potentially be held for ransom against them. Or even having to pay an unexpected data breach of more than $130,000 due to remote workers not being on a secure network.

Cybersecurity for your business is something you should not just worry about, but obsess over. It should be maintained and policies should be updated all year long. This includes having a routine of patch management, better company awareness and layering security through routine tasks.

A Secure Mobile Workforce

We indeed live in a digital world. And 2021 is no exception. With the shift to remote working, zoom calls are here to stay, along with technologies that have shifted workflows to work from home.

But when Wi-Fi drops or unexpected technical difficulties arise, employees feel stranded. Securing these devices can be a challenge as it exposes a higher risk to malware infections. With limited control in a remote workforce, you have to rely on your employees for following critical steps like keeping devices up-to-date. Not only is your company at a higher risk of threats, but also data leakage, unsecured home Wi-Fi and phishing scams. Protecting a remote workforce is no easy task and securing your data on all mobile devices is essential in today’s world. To help secure, we suggest having 24-7 network monitoring, endpoint security and credential protection.  

Transition to Code Securely

Did you know code powers everything from application development, system maintenance and cloud architectures? As more businesses move to the cloud to host certain applications, implementing code is essential. Implementing code can help add security at every level through SecDevOps, DevSecOps and DevOpsSec, which are three major secure code movements that bring people and technology together.  

Find Business Partners

2020 was the year of survival. And that looked different for multiple companies. Some partnered with other enterprises while others were able to make ends meet on their own. As we head into 2021, partnering with other companies is highly suggested. 

More opportunities emerged when two businesses joined forces to drive towards a certain goal. Partnering also allows an enterprise to capitalize on current trends and prepare for the year ahead. To know which partners to connect with, find out what businesses you have come to rely on in the past to help you through the hard times or even the best of times.

Disaster Recovery

Plan for the unexpected. After a year like 2020, you can be prepared for what to expect. With that said, you need a plan of action for every scenario for your business. This plan should include technology, policies and processes for your employees. Within this plan, disaster recovery should be part of your IT funnel at every step. 

Having an off-site backup in place is just one step in having peace of mind about your data being secured. Immediate support, elimination of hardware and software obsolescence and fast data recovery are just some advantages of this system. But the biggest benefit is that your backups can be automated, making sure your data is updated and backed daily. 

Accepting 5G

Technology is growing at a faster rate than most companies can keep up with. To compete with businesses that do somehow keep up with evolving technology, your enterprise must let 5G in. 5G has proven that it is essential and unavoidable as it is changing cybersecurity on efficiency, cost and how secure it is. When running a company on 5G, you might see your employees become less disrupted by technology issues, such as Wi-Fi dropping connections or even applications not working on certain networks. 

Using The Latest Cloud Technologies

You have probably been reminded of this slogan your whole life, two is better than one. And with cloud structure, this still applies. With the combination of private and public clouds, hybrid cloud structures make it easier to share data and applications. This structure also gives your business greater flexibility, more deployment position and helps optimize existing infrastructure, security and compliance. In 2021, optimizing cost and capabilities in the latest cloud technologies is essential to help secure workloads and data. 

Growing Cybersecurity Talent

Almost 90% of data breaches are caused by human error. For that reason alone, cybersecurity awareness and education are highly recommended as we enter into the new year. Uneducated workers are prone to giving malicious attackers and highly-skilled hackers access to digital resources long before they realize they have. When it comes to stealing data, employees are easier to hack rather than finding a single software to breach. 

With 2020 now behind us and a new IT infrastructure ahead, security awareness training is necessary as human errors cause the most slip-ups in cybersecurity. Five topics to cover in employee training are:

1. Acknowledging the different forms of cybersecurity threats
2. Importance of password security
3. How to report cyber threats
4. Email, internet and social media policies 
5. Create a sense of shared responsibility and accountability 

The growth in IT leaders is slim. To have your employees educated on how to prevent, report and act with such malicious attacks will only make your company stronger when working remotely. 

MDL Technology Is Here To Help Your 2021 Cybersecurity Resolution

Although most of us are still trying to bounce back from 2020, we must look ahead and make certain updates to cybersecurity policies.  By having a solid plan, employees know what rules to follow. 

Your company’s security is our top priority. We offer services such as 24/7 support, network monitoring, offsite data backups, auditing and compliance and more to help ensure that you don’t need to stress about your team’s private information becoming public. 

Learn more about the services we offer by visiting our website.