3 Ways to Improve Your Company’s Security

Nowadays data and network security are more important than ever. It is more common than people think that their information could be available for sale online on the dark web. Email passwords, remote PC logins, bank details and other vital personal information. That’s why we take security so seriously here at Nostra. You don’t have to be an expert in network security to do your part and take the first few steps to protect your information. Just take the time to make these three rules a habit for yourself and your workplace and you’ve decreased the chance of a stranger obtaining personal information and greatly improving company security.

Passwords

One of the most important elements of IT security are your passwords. The majority of people typically use the same or a similar password for everything. The password for your network, email, Gmail, Facebook, and Twitter are generally the same or similar. The challenge here is obviously the fact that if someone gains access to one password they will have access to all of your systems. Never use a general password. Pa55w0rd, Password123 or any generic passwords should be changed immediately. We recommend that all organisations introduce a 3 month password expiration policy at a minimum.

We also recommend that all passwords for all logins used should contain the following:

• Both capital and small letters
• Numbers
• Symbols (X!”£$%^&*()~@:}?><,./;#’][)
• Minimum of 8 characters

Firewall

Every business should have a firewall, and there are no exceptions to this rule. The specific internal systems of your company will determine the necessary firewall type.

Some brands that Nostra recommend include:

• SonicWALL
• Cisco
• Palo Alto

Nostra also recommend that a subscription is enabled to ensure that your firewall stays fully up to date. Most firewalls have an alerting system to report back on intrusion alerts. Nostra also have an alert monitoring service.

Further preventative measures that can be discussed with Nostra include:

• Cloud Backup
• Anti-Virus
• Web Filter
• Cloud Email
• Web Proxy
• 2nd Anti-Spam Engine
• Group Policy

2 Factor Authentication

Two Factor Authentication, also known as 2FA, two step verification or TFA is an extra layer of security that is known as “multi factor authentication” that requires not only a password and username but also something that only, and only, that user has. Generally, this is access to a device that is not the one they are signing on to.

Multi-factor authentication (MFA) is a method of authentication that requires the use of more than one verification method and adds a second layer of security to user sign-ins and transactions. It works by requiring any two or more of the following verification methods:

• A randomly generated pass code
• A phone call
• A smart card (virtual or physical)
• A biometric device

By using this method of personal/network protection you’re personalising your security, taking a small step that makes a big difference. All, if not most, user sign-ins and transactions use this method now and there’s reason for it. Multi-factor authentication is also recommended by the European Union Agency for Network and Information Security.

So call us today to see what methods above you have available and we will help you set them up as well as any other network options we can assist you with.