Towards optimal security for your business data

And the same goes for your business. Securing your data against hackers must always be a top priority. Yet many businesses do not take this seriously enough. They often focus on “compliance” – just ticking the boxes. In many cases, they don’t have a real security policy.

Robust IT infrastructure

Hackers are getting more aggressive and creative in what they do. They can bypass your business security measures with much less effort than you might think. Teleworking, the increasing use of mobile devices and the rise of apps are making business networks even more vulnerable.

Installing the necessary firewalls and virus scanners is an essential first line of defence. It is critical that you always install the latest updates and patches so that hackers will find it more difficult to attack your system. A properly updated IT infrastructure is key!

Wanted: alert employees!

Employees can also take various steps themselves to protect business equipment and data. Laptops, tablets and smartphones are sometimes left unattended at the office or when working from home. You should advise employees not to leave their laptops or computers unattended and always to lock them when not in use. This is easy to do with the Windows key + L. Also, encourage them to set their laptop or computer to lock automatically when not in use.

Apps such as Bitlocker – Microsoft’s free built-in encryption tool – provide extra security and peace of mind. Such apps ensure that, in the event of theft, the data on the hard drive becomes unreadable to anyone with malicious intentions. To put it another way, your hard drive is encrypted so that malicious software cannot simply make changes to the operating system or if your laptop is stolen.

“Cake dragonfly tower fireman”

Another essential issue to consider is your business password policy. This applies to PCs, laptops and smartphones, as well as network printers and security cameras. Here are some useful tips:

• Make sure your password contains at least ten to twelve characters, and preferably more.
• Avoid using everyday words in your password.
• Choose passphrases with unexpected words that are completely unrelated (“cake dragonfly tower fireman”). Or even better:‘!Koe&!BranD#aUto@?pianOh’.
• Using a mix of lowercase letters, uppercase letters, symbols and numbers makes a password harder to predict.
• Do not reuse your passwords, as this could compromise multiple accounts. Always create a unique password.
• You should also use access codes that make sense to you but are difficult for computers to guess.

Keep passwords safe

It is not easy to remember a list of unique passwords. Be sure to consider carefully how you store them. Your browser’s autofill password protection feature can be useful, so long as you don’t leave your laptop unattended. With this tool, you only need to remember one master password (instead of multiple passwords). What’s more, the system will often generate random passwords.

Never write down your passwords on paper and/or store them in your phone’s notes app.

The power of multi-factor authentication

Enable multi-factor authentication (MFA) for your critical accounts. This is sometimes referred to as “two-factor authentication” (2FA). This authentication is an additional security check after a successful password entry. These authentication services use methods that only you have access to, such as email, text, biometrics (e.g. fingerprint or facial recognition) or a USB security key.

Regularly update your key passwords. And when you do, you need to change them completely. This is because it is very unsafe to keep a password and only change a few characters. You should update your passwords every month to make life harder for hackers.

Single sign-on

You may have heard of single sign-on (SSO). It is a convenient authentication tool for businesses, allowing employees to securely access multiple applications and services with just one set of login credentials and one SSO application. With this tool, you can ask them to log in with just their Windows account. This allows you to manage your accounts and settings centrally and take rapid action if an account is hacked. SSO allows users to access every integrated app with a single password, via a pop-up widget or login page.

Get started safely with Billit

Billit takes the security of your data and that of your business very seriously. To ensure maximum security, we offer you the option of linking your Microsoft account or Apple ID to your Billit account.

You can use a Microsoft account to access many Microsoft devices and services. You can also set up two-factor authentication through your Microsoft account. Your Apple ID provides access to many Apple devices and services. You can use it to sign in to the App Store, FaceTime, iCloud, iTunes and many other services.

You can also secure our mobile Billit app intelligently by setting a PIN code and using facial or fingerprint recognition to log in securely. This ensures that only you have access to your data.