How Safe Is Your Business Online?

Hi there,

In this month’s edition of Tech as a Force for Good

We marked Safer Internet Day in February, we often talk about keeping your business safe but what about your other babies?

• 7 tips for Keeping your Kids Safe Online
• Why your Cyber Security Strategy should be like an Onion
• How Safe is your Business Domain - Take our free test
• Putting People and the Planet First – as seen in The Daily Telegraph

7 Tips for Keeping Your Kids Safe Online

Even the most tech-savvy kids still need grown-ups to help keep them safe in the online space, so we've put together a list of 7 simple but effective tips for parents.

The good news is that most protection is free - you just need to set aside some time to switch it on for your family.

This handy resource from Internet Matters can help you find the right guides for setting up parental controls on your devices.

Why your Cyber Security should be like an Onion

It may seem a crazy thing to compare Cyber Security to an onion to the average person, but as an IT Specialist you’ll know the best way is to create a multi-layered approach - if one layer is compromised there's anothersecure one underneath.

At It Naturally we believe it’s the only way to ensure your business is as secure as possible. So what makes up those layers?

1. Defence in depth; By implementing multiple layers of security, you're creating a barrier of defence that makes it much harder for cybercriminals to penetrate your systems. Each layer acts as a checkpoint, slowing down an attacker and making it more difficult for them to reach their goal.
2. Protection against multiple types of attacks; Different security solutions are designed to protect against different types of cyberattacks. By having multiple layers, you're covering a more comprehensive range of attack vectors, making it much harder for an attacker to find a way in.
3. ?Reduced risk of compromise; Even if one layer of security is breached, the attacker still has several other layers to get through before they can access your critical data. This gives you time to detect the breach and take action before any damage is done.

So, what kind of security solutions should you be implementing to achieve multiple layers of security?

Firewalls and Intrusion detection and prevention systems (IDS/IPS): These systems act as gatekeepers - monitoring network activity in real time - and can detect and prevent cyberattacks before they can cause any harm.

Antivirus software: Endpoint Protection is designed to detect and remove malicious software, including viruses, Trojans, and spyware.

Email security: Email is one of the most common ways that cybercriminals attempt to compromise a system. Email security solutions like spam filters and email encryption help protect against email-borne threats such as phishing.

Data encryption: Encrypting sensitive data makes it much harder for an attacker to access it, even if they do manage to penetrate your systems.

By picking the most comprehensive and up-to-date solutions (i.e. Next-Gen firewalls and security solutions using AI like IRONSCALES ) you can further enhance security and reduce any associated overheads.

How Safe is Your Business Domain?

If you don’t have a multi-layered approach or are just curious to see how we would rate your business domain when it comes to cyber security out of 5. Then take 30 seconds to find out in our free test.

If your score is anywhere under 5 or you’d like to discuss a multi-layered security strategy for your business then drop us a line [email protected]

Putting People and the Planet First

If that headline made you continue reading, then maybe your values and purposes are aligned with IT Naturally’s.?

The MSP is eagerly awaiting news of its B Corp application, a certification that will show the high standards it sets across a range of factors including its people and the planet.?

In 2022, the UN said the tech industry’s carbon footprint?was between 2% to 3% but research shows this is growing rapidly. So, the sector has a huge responsibility when it comes to sustainability.??

So how do you balance the need for your?IT systems to just work while reducing its environmental impact??

?Here are 3 things to consider:?

1. Optimise your storage: For example, don’t have countless backups in place of the same thing.?IT Naturally recommend you apply the 3-2-1 rule of backup: 3 sets of data, (production and 2 copies), 2 backup copies, 1 backup copy in a geographically separate location (this could be in another cloud)?
2. Optimise your Cloud: Migrate to a more sustainable provider, remove apps and programmes you are not using, to help the planet and reduce your costs.
3. Reduce your e-waste.?In 2019, 53.6 million tons was produced, a rise of 21% in five years.?If every one of us in the UK sent one less email a day, it’s reported we would save 16,433 tonnes of carbon a year – the same as 81,152 flights to Madrid.?

Read the rest of the article originally published in the Daily Telegraph Business Guide on our website.

Next Month

After submitting our B Corp application last year, we are now in

the process and are working together with them for our results. So, we’ll be

talking all things Tech for Good next time. See you then.

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