Cyberattacks pose a significant and growing threat to modern businesses of all sizes. A security breach can lead to operational disruption, financial losses, and reputational damage. To safeguard your small business, you must have a robust network security strategy.
In this blog, we’ll discuss the key components of network security.
Network firewall
A network firewall serves as your company’s defense between your internal network and the internet. It assesses incoming and outgoing traffic based on predefined rules, blocking unauthorized access and preventing malicious content from entering your system. You can tailor your firewall settings to meet your business needs, for example, by whitelisting or blacklisting specific domains.
Role-based security
Users and other accounts that are set up on your network should be granted permissions to only access data and perform administrative changes that are necessary for the role or job that the person is expected to perform. For example, you might create an “Accounting” security group that contains members of your accounting staff, then use this group to lock down access to sensitive data that only your accounting team should have access to.
It is also important to minimize the separate administrator-level permissions from regular user accounts. Operating your computer as a “user” (without administrative rights) can help keep you out of trouble and prevent your computer from being compromised if you were to open a malicious email attachment or click a malicious link. Setting up dedicated administrator-level accounts for installing software, adding or removing users from sensitive systems, etc. helps separate your day-to-day user account from being used by an attacker to perform large-scale damage.
Multi-factor Authentication
Multi-factor authentication (MFA),or two-factor authentication (2FA) helps provide an additional layer of security by not only requiring your username and password, but also a second form of authentication via an app on your smartphone or by sending a text message to your cell phone. MFA should be enabled anywhere it can be, as it is an important guard against account compromise and makes it much more difficult for an attacker to get into your accounts..
Endpoint Detection and Response
Endpoint detection & response (EDR) is advanced security software that runs on your servers and PCs. These tools monitor the usage of a system to prevent and alert when there are signs that an attacker may be trying to compromise your system. By combining these tools with a 24/7 security operations center (SOC) team who can monitor alerts, review, and help use the tools to isolate a compromised system to limit lateral damage to other systems. When combined with SOC monitoring, this is called Managed Detection & Response (MDR).
Implementing a MDR solution can also help you qualify for cybersecurity insurance protection as it lowers the risk of a breach of your systems.
Web filtering
Web filtering protects your network from malicious websites and prevents employees from accessing unproductive or harmful content. By blocking access to known phishing sites, malware distribution points, and other online threats, web filtering helps reduce the risk of infections.
Employee Security Awareness Training
Don’t neglect the “human firewalls” in your organization. The employees in an organization are usually the first line of defense and most common way that attackers breach a network. There are cost-effective tools that can provide quality cybersecurity training for everyone in the organization so that they can spot threats, phishing emails, or other common tactics that attackers use to trick employees to gain access and breach an company’s network.
Implementing periodic simulated phishing emails can provide you with valuable information about how successful your staff are spotting phishing emails. A small investment in training can really reduce risk of a security breach.
Read also: 5 Ways employees can become a human firewall
Security information and event management (SIEM)
SIEM software serves as a central nervous system for your security infrastructure. It collects, correlates, and analyzes log data from various security systems to detect anomalies, security incidents, and compliance violations. With the comprehensive view of network activity that SIEM provides, it helps identify potential threats and allows for quick, informed responses.
Implementing and maintaining a robust network security infrastructure can be complex and time-consuming. Let our team of IT experts at Fidelis assess your organization’s unique security needs and create a tailored cyber defense strategy. Get in touch with us today for a comprehensive network security assessment.
