Did you know you’re now more likely to be the victim of a cyberattack than catch the flu?That’s according to a recent studyin the US, where over two thirds of businesses have dealt with a breach in the last year.
London’s creative small businesses are equally at threat. Increasingly dependent on cloud applications, protecting the edge of your network is no longer enough. From Facebook to Amazon Web Services, the cloud presents more opportunities for cybercriminals to leverage vulnerability – particularly when it comes to how vigilant your staff are at keeping data secure.
Here are three simple steps you can take to protect creative content in the cloud:
1. Know who’s got access to what
Privileged users – website and database administrators, for instance – should have stronger access controls and receive more scrutiny and training to match their ability to access more sensitive data. Review your access permissions across systems at least once a year – if not more often to satisfy your compliance requirements in a supply chain.
2. Prioritise the most sensitive information
Grade all your content by risk, with the highest gradings receiving more encryption and monitoring. All data should be protected, but don’t just rely on common cloud apps – Google Drive or Microsoft 365, for example – having your back. While they may keep historic copies of your data, they rarely comply with stricter requirements to keep data backed up longer-term brought in by content providers like Netflix or industry regulators. And, while general attacks on cloud apps are few and far between, lax password habits and user error is still the easiest route for a cybercriminal to take to get to your data. Keep your staff (and your freelancers) briefed, and enforce the rules.
3. Set up multi-factor authentication on all systems
From DropBox to your own server access, you should set up multi-factor authentication (MFA) across the board. MFA requires a user to provide a code or password generated by email, phone, text or through a third-party app, creating another layer of defence against common problems like phishing attacks. It’s not fool-proof: make sure your staff are thoroughly trained on cybersecurity awareness and always set complex passwords.
Need help putting the right measures in place? We’re the West End’s trusted partner for IT for creative small businesses. With a background in film and TV, we know what it takes to store and deliver content securely, and comply with the latest security requirements. Contact us to find out more how we could keep your business resilient.
