CHECKLIST: Is your business’s IT infrastructure safe?
IT solutions today cannot afford not to prioritise security. Ransomware and other cybercrime have compromised even state departments of the world’s most security conscious governments. Here is a checklist to determine whether your IT infrastructure is secure, or whether you need a new provider and new IT infrastructure:
First: A quick IT infrastructure security checklist
This is a summary of IT security questions to ask, followed by more detailed suggestions:
- Has your IT security been audited recently?
- Are IT permissions correct and restricted?
- Are security features up to date?
- Is data sufficiently encrypted?
- Are regular backups conducted?
1. Has your IT security been audited recently?
When last were your business’s IT solutions audited for security?
If you don’t know where there are security flaws or potential loopholes in your system, or your IT staff are not trained in risk management, speak to security conscious, IT-savvy professionals as soon as possible to get assistance with auditing possible risks.
2. Are IT permissions correct and restricted?
Do the right people have access to the right resources, and are there adequate layers of protection implemented (such as two-factor authentication)?
Access control is not only a security issue. Properly managed, organised access also ensures that the right people are able to access the right data and tools when they need, which in turn helps to maximise workflow efficiency.
3. Are security features up to date?
If your IT staff is failing to keep systems up to date, it’s time to call in security conscious IT experts who can assist you.
4. Is data sufficiently encrypted?
When a company leaks private customer data through a hack or administrative mistake, this leaves customers in a vulnerable position and damages trust and reputation alike.
Check that you are using the strongest (as well as most efficient) encryption and other security measures to ensure that what is meant to be private stays private.
5. Are regular backups conducted?
Safe IT solutions not only require restricting access and fortifying against potential attacks.
The safest systems also have sound backup systems in place for the accident or misfortune that could otherwise result in lost data.
Ask how often backups are performed for key data such as databases or user data. If you do not have a regular backup system in place, now is the time to bring in IT-savvy professionals to safeguard your data against loss.