Here it is everyone. The new year has finally come. With a new year comes a chance to start over and become more like the person you are striving to be! However, when it comes to your small business’s computers, we’re willing to bet you don’t want to start over. That is why it is important to take new security measures for this year.
To avoid hackers and unwanted people who use to have access to your computers, a simple change of passwords can fix your problem. When we say a change of passwords, we meant it. Changing your password from Lastname2015 to Lastname2016 probably won’t help much. PayTech recommends setting standards as far as what is required to be a password. Using at least one capital letter, at least one numerical character and at least one special character will help keep those hackers out!
The next thing you should do to protect your computers is to encrypt your hard drives. This step is important because system passwords alone often do not offer defense against hackers accessing your hard drive from a different computer or someone attempting to clone its entire contents. They may also recover previously deleted files from an unencrypted storage device or disk image. You can find disk encryption software at no cost in the form of DiskCryptor or VeraCrypt , but you must make sure that these are configured correctly.
After making sure that your hard drive is encrypted and your passwords are strong, you can then limit access to your computers by configuring your operating system to ask for a password when waking from sleep mode. You should make the inactivity timeout fairly short, something like 10 to 15 minutes should do fine. If you are feeling super safe, implement a system of locking the computer every time you step away from it even if it’s for a short time. This will prevent data siphoning in your absence, and also serves as a way to prevent unethical insiders with physical access to your computer.
Using an external hard drive is another strategy to protect your computer. It will keep your computer running smoothly as well as keeping your data safe. It will keep it especially safe if your portable storage is encryptable. Your data is then off of your computer and still protected. Once your data has been saved, simply turn off the hard drive and either detach it or eject it from your computer.
Since you have now gone through and made these changes to your computer security, you can rest assured that your small business’s computers are safe and sound. To get more great advice from PayTech, visit our blog! If you haveAccounting, HR, or Payroll needs, visit our Pricing & Packages page!
