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Tag: Cybersecurity Training

  • Protect Your Business from Cyber Threats with This $80 IT Bundle | Entrepreneur

    Protect Your Business from Cyber Threats with This $80 IT Bundle | Entrepreneur

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    Disclosure: Our goal is to feature products and services that we think you’ll find interesting and useful. If you purchase them, Entrepreneur may get a small share of the revenue from the sale from our commerce partners.

    Even small businesses can be the target of cyber attacks. Roughly 43% of all cyberattacks target small- to mid-size businesses, and 60% of them go out of business within six months. So if you want to create your team that will help protect your business from cyber attacks, education is the first step. The Complete Cyber Security Developer and IT Skills Bundle could help you or your employees train to secure your business against attacks, and it’s only $79.99.

    This IT training bundle features comprehensive high-quality content with 26 courses covering more than 400 hours of material to teach a tech-savvy team member how to protect your web spaces and identify potential vulnerabilities. All courses are taught by professionals from iCollege — who exclusively partners with ITproTv to bring superior training to the masses — and cover an expansive range of materials. As one verfied buyer said, “It has the most complete Cyber Security training that I have seen.”

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WXgzItaQnx0

    A user can learn about the fundamentals in this bundle. Study penetration testing, Linux security techniques, ethical hacking, and get familiar with the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in dedicated courses designed by experienced workersh in the industry.

    Make your worker’s IT career path official with certification from CompTIA. This bundle includes three certification prep courses that cover general principles in cybersecurity that are introduced in more detail in other included courses. There’s even a five-hour course on disaster recovery to show users how to protect data during an emergency and practice risk assessment to prevent downtime.

    Protect your business from attacks you can’t see. The Complete Cyber Security Developer and IT Skills Bundle is on sale for only $79.99 (reg. $7,774). That’s the best price online.

    Prices subject to change.

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  • Entrepreneur | Be Your Business’s IT Department with This Presidents’ Day Deal

    Entrepreneur | Be Your Business’s IT Department with This Presidents’ Day Deal

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    Disclosure: Our goal is to feature products and services that we think you’ll find interesting and useful. If you purchase them, Entrepreneur may get a small share of the revenue from the sale from our commerce partners.

    A small business will spend about 6.9% of its revenue on IT. However, if you can get trained as an IT specialist, you may be able to take on some of that work yourself and cut costs, and you could do it all from the comfort of your home with the Complete 2023 Cyber Security Developer and IT Skills Bundle.

    This comprehensive tech training bundle has over 400 hours of lessons spanning Python, penetration testing, disaster recovery, and a lot more. All of it is available for life at a reduced price of $69.99 for Presidents’ Day.

    This IT training bundle contains 20 courses spanning a range of topics you may be able to apply to your business. On average, an unplanned tech outage can cost a small business up to $423 a minute based on calculations of customer retention and loss of employee productivity. Learn how to mitigate downtime in Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery so you can help secure your business against a loss of revenue.

    Protecting your company against digital threats may require more than a firewall. This bundle has four courses on penetration testing to help you identify vulnerabilities in your network.

    This bundle may also be a useful training tool to get a promising employee up to speed. Direct them to the four CompTIA courses if they need to prepare for their official CompTIA certification. Investing in an employee’s advanced IT training could pay dividends when you avoid the high cost of outsourcing your tech needs.

    Get the Complete 2023 Cyber Security Developer and IT Skills bundle while it’s on sale with a best-of-web price for Presidents’ Day, just $69.99 (reg. $7,774) from February 17 through February 20 at 11:59 p.m. PT.

    Prices subject to change.

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  • Learn the Ins and Outs of Cybersecurity in Your Free Time with This Bundle, Now $24.99

    Learn the Ins and Outs of Cybersecurity in Your Free Time with This Bundle, Now $24.99

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    Disclosure: Our goal is to feature products and services that we think you’ll find interesting and useful. If you purchase them, Entrepreneur may get a small share of the revenue from the sale from our commerce partners.

    Gone are the days when we could all bury our heads in the sand regarding cybersecurity. This invisible threat is a real danger in today’s world, but that scary truth comes with a silver lining. Entrepreneurs can leverage the bleak realities of cybersecurity to their advantage because as cyber-attacks become more and more prevalent, the need to protect against them will continuously grow, even in a tough economy.

    Since nearly every company will need to beef up its online security, it would be wise to educate yourself on this potentially lucrative new skill set. The 2023 Complete Cyber Security Ethical Hacking Bundle can help. It’s packed with ten informative courses geared toward taking you from beginner to advanced in the world of ethical hacking, and right now, it’s on sale at a massive price drop down to $24.99.

    Rated 4.5/ starts online, and packed with 133 hours of instruction, this bundle includes courses taught by experienced teachers like Saad Sarraj, an ethical hacker who teaches courses like Practical Hacking Using Raspberry Pi and Learn Practical Hacking Using Metasploit from Scratch. Sarraj navigates students through this world with his practical, real-world knowledge, showing you how to use Raspberry Pi to carry out various attacks like Wi-Fi, Windows, Linux, and macOS hacking.

    Courses like these are geared toward beginners but can also help you improve your skills. There’s also a course that will help you pass the CompTIA PenTest+ certification exam and prove your skills to prospective employers. And all the courses have been organized into brief lectures so you can stop and start when you like.

    Go from beginner to advanced with The 2023 Complete Cyber Security Ethical Hacking Bundle, on sale today for just $24.99 (reg. $2,000).

    Prices subject to change.

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  • 5 Cybersecurity Predictions Home Users Need to Know for 2023

    5 Cybersecurity Predictions Home Users Need to Know for 2023

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    Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

    This time last year, I reviewed the cybersecurity landscape around the world and predicted a year ahead involving advanced threats against home users, the continual growth of ransomware and gaming as a growing attack vector. Looking back over 2022, we indeed saw those predictions play out.

    For 2023, we can expect the continued trends of attacks against consumers and remote employees, like phishing and social engineering attacks, including email and SMS scams, which are commonly used to exploit individuals. Trojan viruses, sophisticated malware and new attack vectors will be highly prevalent in 2023, including novel threats such as the Metaverse Attack vector dubbed “Big Brother” discovered by RAV Researchers.

    With all this in mind, what else can we expect for 2023?

    1. Phishing and social engineering

    Unfortunately, humans are still the weakest link in the cybersecurity chain. Home users remain the easiest targets as AV providers are focused on securing enterprise dollars for their services. Phishing and social engineering scams will become more sophisticated as they continue into 2023, and cyber criminals employ more complex technologies such as deep fakes.

    Continued use of email phishing is to be expected, with Office Documents that hide macro code still being used as vectors to lure users to run the malicious code in emails. Other means of deploying scams, such as SMS and social media platforms — be it affiliate links, clickbait or credentials pages that attempt to steal your password information — are all likely to continue.

    Raising awareness for online users is our best leverage to stop these phishing attempts from being successful. Taking note of simple telltale signs such as misspelling of words, the incorrect use of URLs and completely irrelevant messaging can make all the difference.

    Related: The Emerging Cybersecurity Trends In 2023

    2. RaaS and CaaS

    Ransomware-as-a-Service (RaaS) and overall Cybercrime-as-a-Service (CaaS) are on the rise. Data breaches are to be expected, as data is still seen as profitable barter on the Dark Web. These services are becoming more commonplace as cyber warfare persists. As the motivations behind cybercrime move from profit-related to geopolitical, the nature of the Dark Web is changing. Worryingly, cyber-criminal groups can now use the malware they trade on these platforms to go after more sensitive computing systems connected to critical infrastructure and government services of other nation-states.

    3. Online user demographics

    Cyber victims are becoming increasingly younger. We will see the continued targeting of unsecured consumers such as tweens and teens, who are highly connected, starting to use crypto and buying into the metaverse and other digital assets. Likewise, criminals themselves are getting younger. Cybercrime activity by teens and young adults now covers everything from large-scale attacks on enterprises and governments to low-level crimes that target families, friends and strangers. Hacktivism will also be fueled by cyber use — the younger generation can use their cyber skills to show their discontent in ways the past generation didn’t have access to or the ability to do.

    Related: A Business Leader’s Beginner Guide to Cybersecurity

    4. Bypassing 2FA

    Cracking and bypassing two-factor authentication (2FA) is on the rise and will be exploited more and more in the coming year. It’s likely that in the future, we may move on to three or even four-factor authentication. As the technology to crack multi-factor authentication continues to mount up, more and more companies may opt to use biometric authentication.

    5. Next-generation threats

    As next-generation technologies, such as virtual reality, make it into the mainstream, we will see the continued deployment of next-generation threats. Whether or not the allure of the metaverse and augmented realities makes it into 2023 remains to be seen — but as ever, new vectors offer new opportunities and broader attack surfaces.

    Related: 4 Major Cybersecurity Risks of Working From Home

    What can we do?

    Despite ongoing cybersecurity concerns, there’s sometimes a distinct lack of action. For example, 12 months after the Log4J hack, the CISA and FBI agencies are concerned that many companies have still not applied updates, despite their security alerts warning that if organizations haven’t yet patched or mitigated Log4j vulnerabilities, they should assume their network is compromised and act accordingly.

    Organizations and individuals alike need to shift their cybersecurity strategies to a more holistic approach. Log4J is a great example of why cybersecurity companies shouldn’t rest on their laurels. Experts have warned that threat actors are perfectly capable of playing the long game; even if a disaster hasn’t struck yet. Unless you are fully prepared, it still can.

    As with all aspects of technology, cybersecurity is fast-paced and ever-evolving. Security companies need to constantly mitigate threats, deploying the best cybersecurity available for their users. One thing is certain in 2023: More hacks are coming our way. Cybercriminals will be spending the year ahead fine-tuning their methods. The question is whether the defense can keep up.

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    Andrew Newman

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  • 3 Enterprise Security Trends to Watch Out For in 2023

    3 Enterprise Security Trends to Watch Out For in 2023

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    Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

    As our planet completes yet another lap around the sun, we find ourselves looking ahead to the new challenges and opportunities of 2023. It is always exciting to peer into the unknown and predict what this new solar orbit brings.

    But if the recent years have taught us anything, it’s that such a task is, in fact, a difficult endeavor. I’m sure that none of the predictions we made at the start of 2020 could’ve prepared us for what was coming in the years that followed. So, this ritual of soothsaying we practice every year is not about focusing on the finer details, but instead, it seeks to provide an insight into the general direction the world seems to be cruising towards.

    Gartner used the phrase “seize uncertainty” as the theme for their strategic roadmap report for the coming years. It is truly an apt phrase to define 2023. The ripples caused by the boiling geopolitical tensions caused by the Russia-Ukraine issue, the brewing cybersecurity concerns and the global recession looming over the horizon point toward the uncertainties that await us.

    Because of this, enterprise security has risen to be one of the top priorities for businesses in the coming year, so here’s a take on the upcoming trends of 2023 that companies need to watch out for.

    Related: 5 Fundamental Best Practices for Enterprise Security

    1. Adaptable protection and enhanced visibility for endpoints

    Endpoints continue to be a top target for sophisticated hackers. Adversaries are now leveraging endpoints as a launching pad to conduct more lucrative assaults, such as ransomware and business email compromise, rather than simply taking sensitive data from them. Furthermore, businesses must deal with a growing number of devices, including employee-owned devices outside of corporate networks and IoT devices like virtual personal assistants that need access to company networks, services or databases. Consequently, endpoint protection platforms and endpoint management suits remain a high priority.

    The cybersecurity landscape is fluid and constantly changing. The last few years have shown a significant rise in industry-specific attacks focused on healthcare, supply chains, education, etc. This trend will likely proceed to the following year, and the industries on the weaker end of digital transformation are easy targets for cyber-attacks. In such a paradigm, solutions to detect such threats, platforms to secure and manage corporate devices and other SaaS offerings can provide visibility, protection and a streamlined management platform to take care of the myriad of endpoints being deployed.

    Related: Web3, Crypto, Cybersecurity, Rural Fintech: Trends To Look Out For In 2023

    2. Integrations, collaborations and partnerships

    The onset of the cloud and the subsequent migration towards it enabled organizations to set fluid boundaries to give customers a more inclusive solution. Every SaaS vendor is moving towards this approach to combine the strengths of multiple tools and provide a unified console for seamless management.

    An example of such a collaboration is the prominence and proliferation of SASE (Secure Access Service Edge). Introduced by Gartner in 2019, SASE is a cybersecurity concept that converges multiple network connectivity and network security solutions into a unified service delivered via the cloud. Global spending on SASE is predicted to grow $8 billion by 2023 – a clear indication of its importance and value.

    2023 will also see security and management solutions integrating Artificial Intelligence into their existing toolset. Over the past years, AI has been a significant enabler of automation in security systems. For example, intelligent threat detection systems like endpoint detection and response solutions use AI and ML to detect and respond to zero-day vulnerabilities that can harm your business. The coming year will find many solutions integrating AI technology to strengthen their security posture further.

    3. Fostering a culture of security awareness

    Developing and creating a culture of awareness around cybersecurity risks is the most crucial action to take at any firm. Employers and the workforce can no longer consider cybersecurity to be a problem that the IT department should handle. In reality, everyone’s work description in 2023 should include understanding the dangers and taking simple security measures!

    Many IT security strategies follow a reactive rather than proactive approach, which involves pumping money to recover from the attack and rebuild brand reputation. Attackers take advantage of this and target the weak links to cause damage. Phishing attacks utilize “social engineering” techniques to deceive victims into disclosing sensitive data or downloading malware onto their computers.

    Related: How to Prioritize Online Security While Working From Home

    Anyone can learn to recognize these assaults and take simple safety measures to protect themselves without needing technological expertise. In the same way, fundamental security abilities like secure password usage and learning about two-factor authentication (2FA) ought to be taught to everyone and regularly updated. If an organization wants to ensure resilience and preparation over the next 12 months, taking simple safeguards like these to promote a culture of cybersecurity awareness should be a significant aspect of their security strategy.

    Moreover, with the global economy predicting a global recession, enterprises of all sizes can expect budget cuts throughout the year. In such a situation training your employees and ensuring they have a solid understanding of cybersecurity practices can provide a strong security posture that can act as the first line of defense, protecting your business.

    As we take our first steps into 2023, every enterprise and industry should prepare for the new year and the challenges it brings with it. While predictions and trends serve as guidelines that help us navigate the coming ordeals, the history of the digital world has shown us to always prepare for the worst and expect the unexpected.

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    Apu Pavithran

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  • How to Get Today’s Top Cybersecurity Certifications

    How to Get Today’s Top Cybersecurity Certifications

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    Over the past few years, cybersecurity has become a bigger issue for small-business owners. Cyber attacks could cost you huge amounts of money, no matter how big your business is. But hiring a cybersecurity or IT team isn’t in the budget for all businesses. Instead, it might be more cost-effective to add cybersecurity to your own list of skills. With The Complete 2023 Cyber Security Developer & IT Skills Bundle, you’ll have a central hub to study to earn some of today’s leading cybersecurity certifications.


    StackCommerce

    This massive bundle includes 26 courses and, yes, that means it covers 26 different cybersecurity exams. With exams from Microsoft, CompTIA, CISSP, Cisco, CertNexus, and many more leading organizations represented, it’s one of the best resources you’ll find for taking your cybersecurity skills to the next level. Each course is presented by iCollege, one of the most trusted marketplace in online learning for nearly two decades. They’ve helped students in 120 countries learn in-demand tech skills, and are even trusted by Silicon Valley and Fortune 500 organizations to help employees keep their skills up to date.

    The bundle casts an extremely wide net when it comes to security, covering cloud security, network security, system security, mobile security, penetration testing, first response, and much more. Some of the exam highlights you’ll cover include:

    • CertNexus CyberSec First Responder (CFR-310)
    • ISACA Certified Information Security Manager (CISM)
    • Palo Alto Networks Cybersecurity Fundamentals (PCCSA)
    • (ISC) CISSP
    • NIST Cybersecurity & Risk Management Frameworks
    • CompTIA Security+ (SYO-601)
    • CompTIA PenTest+ (PT0-002)
    • General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)
    • Microsoft Azure Security Technologies (AZ-500)

    Get a comprehensive cybersecurity education that will help you protect your business. Right now, The Complete 2023 Cyber Security Developer & IT Skills Bundle is on sale for just $79 for a limited time.

    Prices subject to change.

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  • Level up Your IT Career with Help From This CompTIA Cybersecurity Bundle, on Sale for $39

    Level up Your IT Career with Help From This CompTIA Cybersecurity Bundle, on Sale for $39

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    Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

    Even when you’re running your own company, you can still benefit from professional development — especially when it comes to technology and cybersecurity. Every business should have an interest in cybersecurity these days as cybercrime has become more rampant and more targeted towards small businesses than ever. If you want to be your business’s first and last line of defense, grab The Complete 2023 CompTIA Cybersecurity & Pentest Super Bundle while it’s on sale for a specially reduced price.


    StackCommerce

    This bundle contains four courses from iCollege, a leader in online learning since 2003 and an official educational partner of CompTIA. Students in more than 120 countries have used iCollege’s resources to learn new tech skills and their courses are even trusted by Silicon Valley startups and Fortune 500 companies alike to keep employee skills on the cutting edge.

    This bundle covers four specific CompTIA certification exams: CompTIA Security+ (SY0-601), CompTIA PenTest+ (PT0-002), CompTIA CASP+ (CAS-004), and CompTIA CySA+ (CS0-002).

    Through each course, you’ll learn the skills you need to know to pass each CompTIA certification exam on your first attempt. Throughout the coursework, you’ll learn how to analyze enterprise environments to minimize threats and vulnerabilities, learn the principles of risk management and legal compliance, and build a foundation to become a cybersecurity expert. You’ll be able to validate your skills in using threat intelligence to protect an organization, using penetration testing tools to discover and exploit vulnerabilities, analyze risk and align defenses with business goals, and much more. By the end of the bundle, you’ll be ready to earn four leading CompTIA certifications.

    Become a qualified defender of your business. For a limited time, you can get this CompTIA Cybersecurity & Pentest Super Bundle for the special price of just $39 (reg. $1,196).

    Prices subject to change.

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  • Hackers Aren’t The Only Unseen Enemy Behind Cyber Attacks

    Hackers Aren’t The Only Unseen Enemy Behind Cyber Attacks

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    Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

    The booming numbers of cybersecurity threats have compelled every C-suite executive and board members to pay closer attention to their cybersecurity hygiene. However, they don’t share the same lens while watching their information security posture. And here’s where a disconnect arises.

    A recent global survey of C-suite executives indicates that around 71% of board members have severe gaps in knowledge regarding cybersecurity and threats their organizations face.

    Whether we talk about data breaches compromising sensitive business information or exploiting consumer identities, executives and heads of information security (InfoSec heads) are already geared for the worst. But the senior management isn’t sure why they need to spend more on their cybersecurity budget.

    While InfoSec heads often emphasize security and risk management as a part of their job, board members often link cybersecurity as a part of their business but hardly consider it as one of the foundations of modern business success.

    Related: Learn How to Protect Your Business From Cybersecurity Risks

    As a result, their communication mismatches and challenges them to translate cybersecurity risks and potential business implications.

    In a nutshell, no matter how much they’re aware of cybersecurity risks and increasing threats, most board members can’t understand how cybersecurity and cutting-edge technologies translate into the underlying business risks.

    So, what needs to be done from an executive’s end to translate the risks? Let’s figure it out.

    Communicate risks of cybersecurity through effective storytelling

    The way you interact with your board leaders makes all difference. And effective storytelling is undoubtedly the best way to convince them.

    Though storytelling isn’t a new concept since humans have used it for centuries to convey a strong message, executives can leverage its true potential to help process crucial information.

    Stories have been a part of our lives from childhood, and various studies suggest that the human brain is wired for stories. And a compelling narrative could eventually evoke an emotional connection and change behavior and attitude.

    Now, while talking with your leadership while utilizing storytelling, you must ensure that you’ve done your homework to support your story to leave an impact. Otherwise, it would be good for nothing.

    Share some data and insights, and talk about the latest tools and technologies that can be incorporated into your processes that could make a huge impact. Moreover, depicting your competitor’s cybersecurity best practices can also help impact your board leaders.

    Also, you could use real-life examples of organizations that ignored their overall cybersecurity hygiene, which resulted in financial and reputational losses. This could be a great way to reinforce your opinion besides the story you crafted.

    Related: Harness the Power of Storytelling to Transform Your Business for the Better

    How to prepare for your conversation with board members

    As a board member, you need to be sure enough that you understand your board’s mindset to connect with them at an individual level. And it would be great if you could first know how they look at the importance of cybersecurity and threat management for the organization.

    Once you understand their perspective, it’s time to create your steps of action to convey your message and ensure they’re convinced that cybersecurity is an absolute necessity and not a luxury for your business growth.

    Here’s what you need to do before beginning a conversation with your board members:

    • Educate them about the latest compliances: Most of the time, your senior management isn’t aware of the latest data privacy and security compliances. And this could be the reason they aren’t in favor of stretching their cybersecurity budget. You must educate them regarding the latest compliances and the consequences of non-compliance. One great example is non-compliance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), which eventually lead to hefty fines and reputational damages.
    • Board member’s background research: Researching the background of your board members could be the first step to understanding their mindset and approach toward overall business growth. Analyze their past experiences, educational background and personality to ensure you hit the right chord while convincing them about cybersecurity and underlying risks.
    • Learn their goals and priorities: Another crucial step is to learn about your leader’s priorities and goals. Do they often think about organizational growth without increasing the overall security budget? Do they keep cybersecurity as a part of their business but not a priority? Is there any way they could relate to organizational growth through cybersecurity best practices for customers and employees? Once you’ve figured out these questions, the next step is to portray your version of information security and its direct impact on your business growth. And for this, you can leverage the latest stats, competitor data and data related to the latest breaches.

    And ultimately, your C-suite executives, like everybody else, would be convinced that cybersecurity hygiene is undeniably a foundational aspect of their business. It’s your responsibility to ensure you’re on the right track and narrating the right story through which they’ll relate and act.

    Related: Cybercrime Could Cost the World $10.5 Trillion Annually by 2025

    Final thoughts

    The modern executive’s role is undoubtedly predominantly people-focused. And getting trapped between highly technical IT staff and leadership that focuses on growth while making cybersecurity-related decisions could be an uphill battle.

    However, the key to business success without compromising security lies in incorporating cutting-edge technology that fosters growth, builds customer trust and maintains compliance.

    And a modern executive must navigate business success by convincing board members regarding the need for cybersecurity best practices to jump on the digital transformation bandwagon.

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    Rakesh Soni

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  • Your Documents Aren’t Safe. Here Are the Best Practices for Document Security

    Your Documents Aren’t Safe. Here Are the Best Practices for Document Security

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    Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

    With the advent of 5G technology and Industry 4.0 putting more pressure on businesses to fast-track their digital transformations, the demand for document-management solutions has exploded. The worldwide market for document-management software is projected to reach $10.17 billion by 2025. Along with this revolution comes inherent concerns about properly securing all this information. Documents often contain sensitive and private information that, if compromised, could be detrimental to individuals, businesses or governments. That is why companies need to incorporate the highest levels of document-management .

    Related: Keep Your Information Moving At The Speed Of Your Business

    Don’t wait to secure digital documents

    With the continued release of new vulnerabilities regularly and the ease at which a digital document can be compromised — compared to a physical piece of paper — ensuring the security of those documents has become more important than ever to keep private information from being exposed.

    It is common to read the news and learn about a new security breach. Impacting small and large companies, nearly 2000 data breaches occurred in the first half of 2022 alone. To many companies, their data is among their most valuable assets, so it must be protected.

    Ransomeware, a form of designed to encrypt files and deny users access to them until a demand ransom is paid, is one clear threat. Phishing attacks, where hackers try to get account credentials (username and password), represent an ongoing and ever-evolving danger. Hackers typically lay low for a time, then eventually start logging in as that user so as not to draw suspicions. Then they download documents that the user can access or, if sophisticated enough, attack network administrator privileges.

    Just who is trying to hack into systems to get documents? Anyone who can find value in the type of data a company possesses. Hackers typically don’t know the type of data a company possesses until they get their hands on corporate documents or know enough about a company to recognize the types of information that might be available, such as financials or employee personally identifiable information (PII). It’s really any documents that they can use for profit.

    What to look for in a document-management partner

    Numerous outsourced document-management vendors exist in the marketplace today, and not all are created equal when it comes to offering the highest levels of security. Below are four necessary security features to look for from a document-management partner:

    1. End-to-end chain of custody and tracking: It’s important to know who has had access to both physical and digital documents. Chain of custody is crucial throughout a document’s life cycle. Any access should be logged so that you can see who opened a particular document, when and what their reason was. Partners should be able to show audit and chain-of-custody logs. This also helps ensure that only people with the proper privileges can access particular documents — and no one else.
    2. Disaster recovery, failover, redundancy, and guaranteed access: With a reduction in paper documents, systems and processes need to be in place to ensure that your digital documents are accessible in the event of a single point of failure. At the partner’s data center, if the internet goes down, you still should have a backup, redundant way to access those docs. Partners should be able to provide written reports that show testing on an ongoing basis along with results, so you feel confident that if disaster strikes, you know the failover will work properly.
    3. Compliance with industry standards: Compliance standards, such as PCI for credit card information, HIPAA for health information and SOC 2 Type II for policies and processes, ensure complete accountability for the security and related processes around any document. Compliance usually involves an independent third-party assessment to ensure that partners are following industry guidelines, performing the necessary tasks and have the appropriate controls in place to ensure the highest levels of security. Partners should be able to provide evidence of certifications, indicating they meet the necessary compliance standards for the types of documents that you’re storing.
    4. Utilization of a “continuous ongoing compliance” model: One of the drawbacks of compliance is that it’s an annual assessment, so sometimes companies get lax throughout the year — then get ready just at compliance time. Partners should be able to demonstrate compliance not only at assessment time but also throughout the year.

    Related: How To Develop Security Policy For Your Company

    Best practices companies can implement

    In addition to wanting the best technology solutions to help facilitate the digitization of documents, companies should also make security a top priority. Whether you have a Chief Security Officer, Chief Technology Officer, Head of IT or are working with a third-party service provider, there are several best practices that companies themselves should implement to ensure they’re doing their part to secure their digital documents:

    • Make security a primary, proactive focus and not an afterthought;
    • Perform a complete audit of all access to and actions taken on each digital document;
    • Ensure proper data classification, retention, and destruction protocols are established and followed;
    • Test and document disaster-recovery and business-continuity solutions;
    • Run regular scans of the environment and remediation of all critical vulnerabilities found;
    • Hold recurring security-awareness training with 100% required staff participation; and
    • Conduct regular chain-of-custody and security audits to ensure best practices are being followed and documented.

    To obtain the highest levels of security for digital documents, collaboration on strategy should involve all stakeholders — including document-management providers, IT, security and operations.

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    David Winkler

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