If 2020 is anything to go by when it comes to the overall feeling of stability and security, we need to prepare ourselves much better for the future. While we are all hoping that 2021 will be much more growth-oriented and hopefully without pandemic-related issues, companies still need to take any possibility into consideration. For most businesses in 2020, technology has been the ticket to growth and safety in spite of the circumstances, and innovative tech solutions have been the key to allowing many companies to stay afloat.
In much the same manner, brands will need to turn to technology and digitalization in 2021 for increasing their stability, and thus their security. Even though many will primarily focus on recuperating financially from the strains of 2020, it’s essential to keep an eye on your security on site as well as cybersecurity – because that is precisely what’s necessary to prevent further financial losses and causing any harm to your business reputation.
To help you greet the upcoming year with a solid security structure in place, we will suggest a few of the most promising security solutions to help your company grow.
Make your remote workers secure
Few companies have been able to keep their entire workforce at their offices. The risk of working and traveling to and from work and the increased exposure to the virus has pushed more companies to quickly transition from office to home-based work. Without proper preparation, that can mean exposing your business to numerous security risks and weak links.
First and foremost, enable multifactor authentication for all of your employees’ accounts. If someone tries to penetrate one of your databases without authorization, they will be prevented simply because your employees will need to use multiple devices to achieve this. Add to that, conduct regular tests and check with your teams if they need to update or install malware protection on the devices they are using at home. A strong BYOD policy that covers their home use will keep your remote workers safe.
Strengthen your software with powerful hardware
As we’ve mentioned, malware protection software is crucial in your security strategy in 2021, especially if you plan to retain your remote business model. However, when it comes to securing your office network and all those who use it to share sensitive information or work on sensitive projects, you need accompanying firewall hardware solutions to keep your employees and data secure.
With this all-encompassing approach to your security at the office, you will cover all of your basis to prevent data leaks, you’ll be able to monitor and regulate inbound and outbound traffic, and keep a keen eye on all your security systems. Increasing the visibility of your security systems will allow your key stakeholders to regularly spot threats or potential security issues and bridge the gap before a problem arises.
Educate and train your employees
Possibly the greatest security risk for most modern-day companies isn’t an external threat, but an internal one. Your employees, especially those handling customer information and the confidential data related to your business processes, they are the ones with the means to jeopardize your business security. That is why your 2021 security strategy should focus on educating and training your employees.
Once your team knows which prevention tactics to use, how to handle and communicate sensitive information, and how to recognize security threats such as phishing and other social engineering scams – you’ll elevate your security and overall business resilience significantly. Make sure that your onboarding process includes a security check for all candidates, so that you can start training new employees from day one.
Biometrics in the security spotlight of 2021
Since innovative solutions will take the lead in security of the upcoming year, it makes sense that old-school preventative tactics such as sticking to password protection only will become obsolete. Although multifactor authentication and proper access management will remain relevant, companies will also upgrade their security systems at the office with biometric scanning devices.
Most household devices such as AI assistants as well as our smartphones already use voice recognition, fingerprint scanning, and image scanning to help boost personalization as well as security. Big or small, your business should definitely leverage this technology in the months and years to come.
Smart data backup solutions
Collecting, analyzing, and handling sensitive and confidential information, both from your customers and employees as well as business partners means that you need to put your best foot forward when it comes to keeping this data safe. Although system issues, power outages, and malicious attacks do happen, it’s up to you to have a contingency plan in place to protect data and to make sure your business can keep operating despite such situations.
While most companies have already started using cloud computing as one of the key ways to improve data security as well as scalability, you also need to think about your backup and recovery strategy. Discuss this with your cloud provider to make sure there’s a data recovery strategy in place, and create file copies in secure locations, be it a separate hard drive, or a hybrid cloud system to enable even more security features.
Cybersecurity and the overall notion of business security will be a central topic of 2021. Considering the current health crisis, companies need to invest in preventative solutions that will help them stay relevant and secure in the months to come. Above all, security will allow your brand to protect its reputation and slowly grow your business as the economy recovers from the pandemic.