The findings of a recent survey carried out by TechPro on behalf of Datapac indicate that many Irish organisations are still unprepared to face the challenges presented by the on-going explosion in data volumes, and, as a result, remain susceptible to the increased security threats facing businesses as we enter 2017. Fortunately, Datapac has outlined five key considerations that can help your organisation to defend against these threats while becoming more agile, more productive and more capable of sustained growth.

Focusing your investment and attention on the areas outlined below can go a long way to safeguarding the future success of your business.

Invest in your security infrastructure

When looking to protect your business, your IT security investment should be the first thing you think about. The latest security threats are extremely sophisticated, and businesses need equally advanced defence systems in order to remain protected. It’s time for organisations to start implementing next generation solutions. Security has traditionally been reactive in nature, protecting us from the known threats. Next generation products provide a more proactive layer of protection and offer improved functionality such as application control, which can help to prevent malicious software from being installed on devices. These solutions also analyse the system and detect anomalies, thereby identifying advanced threats before they are able to take root.

Secure mobile devices

As well as securing your perimeter and infrastructure, you also need to focus on securing mobile devices. Unsecured mobile devices in the working environment are one of the greatest security threats facing organisations right now. Implementing a Mobile Device Management (MDM) solution, with device encryption as a key feature, gives you the peace of mind that sensitive business data can remain secure, while giving employees the flexibility and mobility they need.

Secure your print network

When it comes to improving information security measures, there is one area that business owners often overlook: their printers. Recent research has demonstrated that nearly 90% of enterprises have suffered at least one data loss through unsecured printing. It’s important to remember that if your printer fleet is connected to your network, it should be protected in the same way as your PCs and other network endpoints. Implementing an access control print solution will also ensure that sensitive documentation will only be retrieved by those with the appropriate clearance, thus helping you meet your confidentiality objectives.

Insure your data with true business continuity

As well as taking proactive steps to reduce your risk profile, it’s important to remember that no matter how much you invest in security it’s still possible for your systems to fail or data to go missing. For this reason it is critical to prepare a business continuity plan.

Best practice is to follow the 3-2-1 rule, i.e. keeping three copies of your data in two different media types with one of them being stored offsite. Using this approach will mean that, in case of an incident onsite, you will still have a secure back-up to get you back up and working with minimum downtime for your business.

It’s equally vital that your backup and recovery solutions are tested on a regular basis so that you can be sure of your organisation’s ability to recover in a disaster scenario. Conducting a full disaster recovery test allows you to be confident in your business continuity.

Make the most of your Managed Service Provider

Availing of an experienced and highly accredited managed service provider (MSP) can help your business to take advantage of a much wider range of skillsets than you might have access to in-house. They can provide round-the-clock proactive support of your infrastructure, devices and data; freeing your business up to concentrate on core activities. Your MSP should act as a trusted and knowledgeable partner that will monitor your ICT environment, detect any potential issues and keep it up and running with optimal efficiency, security, reliability and performance.

Through a program of continuous investment in its network operations centre, managed service offerings and its service delivery team, Datapac offers Irish businesses an unrivalled level of expertise, support and protection. To find out more about our services, contact us today.