It is increasingly more common to see business security becoming a very crucial issue for a company. While technology provides us with ease of use and the comfort of quick communication, it also opens several possibilities of cyber attacks. It has become so much easier for online criminals to plant viruses and malware into our systems and steal sensitive information for personal gain. This is the reason it cannot be stressed enough that businesses must exercise extra caution as all it takes is one slip from one of the employees to compromise the whole system. There needs to not only be adequate protection in terms of antivirus software but employees also need to be trained with regards to security measures in the workplace. There are many tools available that can be used to offer protection against risks in the future.

Here is the list of 5 business tools that can be used to protect your business from hacking or any other cyber-crimes:

Password Protection and Locked Screens

This is the most basic and most rudimentary layer of protection that one can use in a workplace environment. You should use complex passwords and always lock your computer screens when not using your work station. This is especially important in an environment where the employees are being asked to get their own devices to work. It is preferable to change passwords regularly and not allow any unauthorized access on your machine if you are using it both for personal and professional reasons. Losing the device at any point can cause the company a lot of trouble, mainly if it makes it into wrong hands. If your emails are unprotected, you could be exposing your businesses’ secrets and leave it susceptible to threats.

Limit the amount of downloads

Files that have questionable origin should not be downloaded as they are likely to have viruses attached to them. Although you may be using the best antivirus for business, it is still important to be cautious when downloading files from the internet. If you think that they look suspicious, then refrain from downloading the content in a work PC, as you could unknowingly be causing damage to the security of your company’s data.

Don’t trust strange emails

This is the most common form of hacking and despite multiple warnings having been made, many users still fall prey to emails that make unrealistic promises. You may get many unwanted emails on a daily basis that seem genuine but are of doubtful origin. The best thing to do in this situation is to delete those emails and not give in to the temptation of opening any attachments and activating the virus or malware download. Before you open an email, always check the details of the sender. Most scam emails don’t even pass the sniff test. Is it someone you know? Is the email address a legitimate business address? What is the subject of the email? Does it contain attachments of unknown nature? These are some simple checkups that you should perform every time you are accessing an email from an unknown sender. A few small steps will go a long way in protecting your data and that of your company.

Switch to a Cloud Network

Cloud is one of the best new technologies that have emerged in the realm of business. It allows you to get remote access to all of your important files at any time of the day and from anywhere in the world. You can not only store all of your important data on a cloud network, but also save huge costs in infrastructure and complex systems for the security of that data. The cloud has an option to encrypt your files when transferring online to make it not only secure but also easier to transfer and access. Most cloud networks limit the size of the emails attachments that can be sent online. However, this one simple restriction goes a long way in mitigating online risks and maintaining email security.

Set an Auto clean-up date

You should set a time for your system to perform an automatic cleanup on the documents and emails that have expired. This way your business will stay organized and you will also be able to free up space on the company server. In general, information shouldn’t be stored in your system for indefinite periods, which is regarded as a necessary tradeoff for the safety of your business. Old email and documents can be archived, while other sensitive information can be encrypted so as to be kept safe.