Maintaining data security is one of the business management strategies that cannot be left aside, taking into account the various protection tools, but mainly, the number of attacks that exist today, with the daily use of the internet by companies.
I see many managers concerned about information security only after they have already suffered some type of attack. Many people search for the subject and find our blog.
What not all of them do is implement a basic security system, identifying possible weak points and acting proactively to correct the gaps.
In this article, we will talk about the principles of information security and the most common and essential solutions to protect company data.
What are the principles of information security?
To understand what information security represents, it is necessary to know its basic principles and characteristics.
Confidentiality
It is the reliability of the information. The user must be assured of the good quality of the information they will be working with.
Integrity
It is the guarantee that the information will be complete, accurate and preserved against undue changes, fraud or even destruction.
Thus, information breaches are avoided, whether accidental or even on purpose.
Availability
It is the certainty that the information will be accessible and available on a continuous scale to authorized people.
Nowadays, the cloud and remote access mechanisms make it possible to make information available from any place and time.
Authenticity
It means knowing, through appropriate registration, who accessed, updated and deleted information, so that their authorship and originality can be confirmed.
As we saw above, information security covers some aspects that should be in the implementation plan of your company's data security systems. In fact, such aspects are part of the basic premise of the General Data Protection Law, widely disseminated on news portals and here on the blog .
Next, we will see what are the fundamental and basic tools for efficient data security in the corporate environment.
What are the basic information security items for companies?
Businesspeople understand that company data is important. Information regarding the products or services offered, names and documents of employees, billing, accounting, among many others, are available in the systems used.
As this is highly sensitive information, many managers are looking for security tools that protect data against cyber attacks and that can be aligned with the LGPD.
Without a basic protection system, simple failures can cause enormous damage, ranging from the exposure of financial values handled, loss of customer data, to data hijacking , requesting the payment of a high amount to return or unlock such data. data.
All information is considered business assets. In this sense, it is extremely important that they are preserved through information security tools and practices, such as those listed below.
1 – Mapping weaknesses
Identifying where threats may come from in your company's network can greatly facilitate your process of implementing efficient data security. By grouping the data, it is possible to identify an overview of which weaknesses are considered small and which deserve more and immediate attention.
To identify possible problems in the internet network, there are security and vulnerability tests of the internet network.
Some of them are based on allowing access to websites considered harmful, while others test the opening of doors on equipment and virus infection.
I even wrote another article here on the blog with more detailed information on the topic.
2 – Keep equipment and systems up to date
Equipment and systems undergo continuous technological evolution and need to be replaced and updated periodically. Furthermore, when purchasing such tools, quality and performance aspects compatible with the company's use must be taken into account, so that they work in a way that perfectly meets the company's needs, without overloads, failures or defects due to use. inappropriate.
Furthermore, there is the “originality” factor. Many companies today choose to use pirated tools to reduce costs. However, this custom can lead to several problems, mainly data security, after all, they are modified versions of the original, where mainly security and originality verification features have been removed.
For operating systems the logic is the same. Updated, it contains security improvements in addition to new features, as new forms of invasion and security breaches emerge.
Therefore, keeping the company's equipment and systems up to date is one of the main points for efficient data security in companies, as they are used massively every day.
3 – Structure a backup system
It is never enough to remember the importance of having a backup , from which important data can be recovered after any incident.
In some types of attack, such as ransomware, which locks data until a ransom is paid, the main way to solve the problem is to restore company data from a backup copy.
The backup strategy must be implemented in such a way that there is a backup copy maintained in a location disconnected from the original location of the data. If the backup copy is made on an additional disk constantly connected to the server or network where the original data is located, in the specific case of ransomware, it is possible that the backup files will also be blocked at the time of the attack, making the backup useless. It is important to have a backup copy in a separate location from the original location where the data is stored.
Backup is essential for the security of company information.
4 – Implement a firewall rules system
A firewall is a security device that controls the flow of data on a network. With it, you can filter traffic, configuring what should pass through and what should be discarded.
When correctly configured on a computer network, the firewall works as an additional layer of protection against external attacks and increases the security of the company's network, equipment, systems and information. Typically, the firewall is one of the main defenses at the perimeter of a private network, being an essential component in protecting against unwanted traffic and intrusion attempts.
5 – Prepare a document on the company’s internet use policy
Establishing guidelines for organization members regarding the rules for using information technology resources is perhaps one of the “cheapest” ways to improve data security.
These rules, listed in a document, signed and foreseen by the user before making any use of the company's equipment, serve to prevent unaware, unprepared, negligent and in some cases even malicious employees from putting company data at risk, at the mercy of digital criminals.
Developing an information security policy in the company can reduce possible expenses and investments with corrective measures arising from cyber attacks.
6 – Control internet access
Controlling internet access is a common practice in companies and is increasingly important and necessary. Unlike the information security policy, access control does not require the employee's common sense and will to ensure that harmful websites outside the scope of work are not accessed.
In most incidents or security breaches, the gateway to attacks or virus installation are users who are unable to identify possible risks and end up clicking on fake email messages or malicious links on the internet.
Therefore, using an access control in the company can close the vast majority of entry points for hackers into the company's network.
Among those available on the market, some solutions for controlling internet access stand out, such as DNS Filter , Lumiun Enterprise , NextDNS and Cisco Umbrella .
Among those mentioned, only Lumiun Enterprise has full support in Brazilian Portuguese and payment in national currency, which is a big difference, taking into account the growing value of the dollar.
7 – Use secure remote support tools
With the large number of professionals working from home, it is quite common for companies to provide some support to these employees remotely. However, without the company's protection systems working in favor of the employee, the data and devices in this action will be at risk if they do not use secure remote support tools.
Among all the solutions, the most used is certainly the Business VPN.
The acronym “ VPN ” stands for Virtual Private Network, translating Virtual Private Network, is a network technology that uses the internet to connect a group of computers and maintain the security of data that travels between them.
The main advantage for a company that uses VPN is certainly the increase in information security when there is a need to transfer confidential data between branches or for employees who work remotely and need to access data on the local network.
Therefore, if at any point one of the company's employees remotely accesses the company's internal data, it is extremely important to use a VPN connection, keeping the company's data protected.
Conclusion
In the same proportion that technological updates produce resources to protect information, they open up new opportunities that can be taken advantage of by malicious people, with the aim of carrying out cyber crimes, aiming to obtain fame and money.
Numerous cases of security breaches in large companies and systems are disclosed monthly, and need to be studied in depth to acquire new practices and protection solutions.
Among all the data security tools considered fundamental, mentioned above, which ones are used in your company? I hope the answer is not worrying, but if so, I hope the material has helped you to implement as many of them as quickly as possible.
To the next!
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