2018 presents the perfect opportunity to build new routines and new habits when it comes to technology and cybersecurity.

Why? In 2017, 143 million Americans had their data compromised in just one of the dozens of reported data breaches, Equifax. Yahoo upped its estimate on email accounts hacked over the past four years to every single user — three billion in all. Ransomware wreaked havoc on health systems, governments, and hundreds of thousands of businesses.

What can my company do different in the New Year?

1. Strong passwords.

Since passwords are still our primary defense against cyber threats, strong ones have never been more important. All passwords should contain random strings of characters, not a word, phrase, name, or birthday, and most sites now require a combination of upper- and lowercase letters, numbers, and symbols. NEVER use the word “password” in your password, never leave it written down under your keyboard, and don’t use the same password for multiple logins.

2. Use two-factor authentication whenever you can.

This requires something you know (your password) with something you have (a unique code sent via text message, email, or phone call). Two-factor authentication (often abbreviated as 2FA) can help to prevent account hacks and other compromises. We can offer two-factor authentication on most of your cloud services hosted with nology.

3. Lock your computer when you walk away.

Setting your computer to go to sleep after a certain amount of time or automatically log out when the screen turns off can add another level of security. In many regulated industries like finance and health care, this might be a requirement, too. Keyboard shortcuts to lock your computer are easy to remember: Windows + L key on PCs and Control + Shift + Power on Macs.

4. Verify EVERY link you click, before you click.

Before you click a link in an email, on a website, or from another source, place your mouse over the link without clicking it to display the text of the web address where it will take you. Spammers, phishers, and other cybercriminals will often make the display text of a link appear innocuous when in fact one click will redirect you to a malicious website that could install malware on your computer or encrypt all your files via a ransomware attack. All it takes is that one wrong click to spell disaster for your computer, your data, and possibly even your co-workers and all the systems of your business.

6. Put proactive security solutions to work.

There’s no better time than the New Year to change course and go on the offense against cybercrime instead of constantly playing defense against increasingly sophisticated attacks. At nology we offer cloud based intelligence solutions to deploy multi-layered defenses that monitor cybersecurity trends, analyze Internet traffic, and stay a step ahead of scammers and protect your business.

7. Back up your data.

Ransomware, data breaches, natural disasters, and cyberattacks can wreak havoc on your business no matter how prepared you are. An effectively prevention strategy also includes an effective recovery plan. Have a backup plan and test it regularly!

No matter what’s on your New Year’s resolution list, cybersecurity is critical in 2018. Not sure what steps to take first? Confused about which IT strategy is most imperative? Contact nology and we’ll help provide clarity for you and your business.