When was the last time your business engaged in a security risk assessment<\/a>? Do your employees know how to identify and prevent phishing attacks? Is software continuously updated to apply the latest security upgrades and patches? These are just a few steps The National Cybersecurity Alliance suggests initiating this month and moving forward. <\/p>\n\n\n\n As a managed services IT partner for businesses of all sizes, DMC is on the front lines of cyberattacks. We monitor clients\u2019 technology systems around the clock to identify potential threats. We deploy proven strategies from industry-leading partners and our experienced engineers implement cybersecurity solutions that protect the most complex environments. This month, we\u2019re honoring National Cybersecurity Awareness Month with some strategies for improving your IT security posture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Cybersecurity awareness is understanding potential cybersecurity threats and best practices for protecting every aspect of your technology landscape, from networks and computer systems to email, cloud-based apps and mobile devices. We know cybersecurity can feel overwhelming in our digital world. Virtually everything we do in life and business is somehow connected to technology. Because of this, the windows of opportunity for cybercriminals are ever-expanding. That is, only if we give bad actors the keys. Ultimately, this is the point of Cybersecurity Awareness Month: to inform, share knowledge and secure our world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Cybersecurity awareness includes:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Specifically for businesses, cybersecurity awareness is crucial because what you don\u2019t know about your IT security posture can cause significant damage to your organization. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Employee education centered on cyber threats should be ongoing, and we realize that everyday business can push security training down on the priority list. But taking the time to deliver cybersecurity awareness education to employees is just as important as teaching job-related skills. After all, safely navigating the tech landscape is<\/em> their job, too. <\/p>\n\n\n\n DMC helps businesses create comprehensive cybersecurity policies for their team members. Even simple efforts like teaching employees how to create strong passwords or use multi-factor authentication go a long way toward protecting your IT environment. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Here are some basic employee cybersecurity training topics to cover. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Aside from essential cybersecurity employee communications, your business can improve its cybersecurity posture and reduce the risk of threats during Cybersecurity Awareness Month by taking these crucial action steps to mitigate incidents. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Now is a great time to renew a commitment to cybersecurity. It\u2019s a 24\/7\/365 necessity to protect your business from data breaches and losses, both reputational and financial. DMC offers a\u00a0security posture checklist<\/a>\u00a0with critical IT cybersecurity measures that all businesses should deploy. One of those is effective security awareness training to help employees understand proper cyber best practices and their role in helping combat IT security threats.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n Following are other high-impact essentials to implement in your overall cybersecurity strategy. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Assess Cybersecurity Risk<\/strong> \u2014 As noted, an IT security assessment will set the stage for your cybersecurity strategy by identifying vulnerabilities, potential threats and plans for resolving incidents. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Backup and Disaster Recovery<\/strong> \u2014 If a security breach occurs, what\u2019s the plan? Every business should have a business continuity plan in place that includes how you will effectively backup and recover to reduce downtime and regain access to mission-critical systems, applications and data. This coincides with incident reporting protocols so employees know how to respond when a security breach occurs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Endpoint Detection, Protection and Updates<\/strong> \u2014 Your IT environment extends far beyond office computer systems and tech infrastructure. End-user devices including smartphones and tablets are equally vulnerable to cyber threats. There are more endpoints attached to networks than ever before, which is why your business needs to protect those devices with elevated security measures. Additionally, endpoint updates to stay current with security patches will ensure ongoing protection. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Email Protection<\/strong> \u2014 This is the main entry point for phishing attacks and other sophisticated hacks. Email protection should guard against credential phishing and email compromise, and there must be a plan for investigating and remediating attacks. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Conditional Access<\/strong> \u2014 Who has access to your cloud-based and on-premise applications? For added security, there are solutions that allow employees to access those applications only when they are using trusted, compliant devices. You can\u2019t be sure that home laptops and devices are equipped with the IT security measures to protect your business. So, conditional access is another layer of protection. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Multi-Factor Authentication and Strong Passwords<\/strong> \u2014 The National Cybersecurity Alliance emphasizes this practice in its October Cybersecurity Awareness resources. Enable multi-factor authentication that requires employees to provide two or more verification factors to gain access to password-protected information. Also, examine your password policy. Use strong passwords, and then implement the Windows Local Administrator Password Solution (LAPS) to automatically manage and back up those passwords.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Next-Generation Firewall<\/strong> \u2014 Modern, high-impact firewalls should include threat protection, gateway security or multi-engine sandbox detection. This tool analyzes suspicious code and behavior so you have full visibility of malicious activity to resist potential threats. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Encryption <\/strong>\u2014 By encoding messages, hard drives and personal information, only those with authorized access can gain access. Encryption also protects workers when they are working off-site or from home. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Domain Name System (DNS) Security<\/strong> \u2014 DNS servers can be cyber attack targets orchestrated in conjunction with other security breaches. Bad actors compromise DNS servers to distract IT security professionals from the main target, which could be sensitive information or proprietary data. DNS is how employees access apps and IT services, whether on-premise or in the cloud. So if DNS is compromised, your business is shut down until the attack is remediated. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Life Cycle Management <\/strong>\u2014 This speaks to the critical need for ongoing cybersecurity awareness and oversight. It includes maintaining up-to-date hardware and firmware, along with support to safeguard systems. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Cybersecurity awareness is a year-round pursuit. Businesses can\u2019t afford to let their foot off the gas pedal of managing IT security. We recommend starting with an IT security assessment to identify vulnerabilities. DMC delivers thorough cybersecurity assessments conducted by our multidisciplinary team of IT engineers, who examine every facet of your operation. From there, we build backup and disaster recovery protocols, IT strategic plans and can oversee the entire tech environment to protect your business from cyber threats. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Why not start with an IT security assessment <\/a>and employee cyber training by DMC. We\u2019re spreading the word about cybersecurity awareness\u2014join us. Let\u2019s talk tech<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Posted by Greg Gomach, Business Unit Manager at<\/strong> Understanding IT Threats & Improving Your Security Posture October is National Cybersecurity Awareness Month, and its purpose is to help individuals and businesses understand the cybersecurity landscape, potential threats and steps to mitigate risk. This year marks the 20th campaign, and the cybersecurity landscape has drastically changed during that time. The tactics cybercriminals deploy are […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":3015,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[6,4,7],"tags":[16,10,17,11,12,18],"class_list":["post-2975","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog","category-cybersecurity","category-security-assessment","tag-cyber-security-toledo","tag-dmc-technology-group","tag-it-jobs","tag-toledo-cyber-security","tag-toledo-it-firm","tag-toledo-ohio-it-services"],"yoast_head":"\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/dmctechgroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/DMC-BlogBanner-1425x300-Cybersecurity.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nWhat Is Cybersecurity Awareness and Why Is It Important?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Cybersecurity Awareness Education for Employees <\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Business Cybersecurity Awareness Checklist <\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Grow Cybersecurity Awareness with DMC <\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"Greg](\"https:\/\/dmctechgroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/1668203017642-2.jpg\")
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DMC Technology Group<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"