Computer Network Security: Being secure in your business and feeling peace of mind through daily operations: these are two very important aspects of owning your own company. A big source of that peace of mind is having a network security plan in place to protect your company, reputation, employees and customers.

Here’s what to know about the importance of network security.

Between January and September of 2019, there were nearly 8 billion data records exposed, representing a 33 percent increase over the previous year. Often times, hackers are behind it all, but other times, human error can also result in a data breach. More than half of all cyberattacks target private businesses.

The risk of insecure networks is expensive and concerning. What are you doing to secure your business?

A Look at Network Security

In a nutshell, the importance of network security involves the practices and technologies put in place by a business to protect its IT infrastructure, which is comprised of data, programs, web networks, applications, software and hardware.

Effective management of these systems is critical, as it ensure your digital assets, especially the client-facing or public-facing ones, are reliable, compliant and safe. It also protects your reputation in the event data is inappropriately handled.

Today, common network security measures include:

• Password-protected computer and mobile devices.
• Firewalls or other internal network controls.
• Anti-virus, anti-spyware and anti-malware software.
• Cloud-based storage.
• Local device storage.

Most businesses will have a combination of all of these to provide the utmost level of protection. While it’s great to incorporate these things, it can be tough as a business owner to maintain and update a complex IT infrastructure on their own.

Why is Network Security Important?

The right network security allows your business to safely and consistently deliver on the goods and services your customers need. It will also prevent:

• Interruptions in Business: Even the smallest of cyberattacks will disrupt your daily operations, which puts you at risk for loss of financial information and interrupted inventory at minimum and a complete digital shutdown at worst.
• Data Loss: This can lead to compromised consumer privacy along with your own critical and sensitive business data.
• Fines and Legal Risks: You could face government-mandated fines if involved in a data breach, whether or not it’s your fault or a hacker’s, plus you could be stripped of your compliance or standard certifications.
• Overall Loss of Business: Digital mismanagement can cause consumers not to trust you anymore, which damages your reputation and directly impacts your bottom line – not to mention your ability to keep your doors open once it’s all over.

Data breaches can occur when any number of ways, from malware and phishing to Denial of Service (DoS) Attacks and session hijacking.

Benefits of Network Security

Network security plans can:

• Save you money, because you’re protecting yourself again lost business, compliance penalties, legal fees, and business fines.
• Save you time, as the resulting breaches and clean-ups will cost you way more than the initial cost to set up network security.
• Improve operations: You will be more productive, efficient and manageable if your network is safe and streamlined.
• Enhance compliance with cybersecurity rules and guidelines.
• Minimize catastrophic data events.

Contact Monmouth Cyber

To learn more about how we can help you create your own network security plan, contact us today and we would be happy to assist you.