Editor’s Note: Here at Dispatches, we are always looking for ways to help our readers do things. For some of our readers, that means helping navigate the working world, for others, it means assisting in the ever challenging question, “what’s for dinner?” For still others, it means figuring out how to balance family life with everything else. In an effort to aid in all of these endeavors, we have collaborated on this article written specifically for our readers.
When you’re under pressure and on a deadline, the last thing you need is to have issues with your tech or more specifically, with your tech security.
Usually, the moment you relax and think you’re in great shape, in terms of IT security, you find yourself under the vicious attack of a rogue virus or hacker.
When you’re working on a shared network as part of a team this can have devastating consequences but there are steps you can take to both prevent a cyber attack and steps you can take when and if the worst-case scenario does, in fact, become a reality. We take a look at the before and after of internet security in light of a breach.
Prevention is certainly better than cure so at the very least consider delegating your IT and its security as a Managed Service. This is especially useful if you work on your own or as part of a small team and don’t have any specialists in-house.
The next prevention tactic to consider is how you will access your data should your hardware fail. The best way to protect yourself and your vital documents is to transfer them regularly to Cloud-based storage, off your hardware and out of harm’s way. The other good thing about Cloud storage is that it has its own security systems in place so you won’t have to worry too much about transmitting a virus any further.
Cloud-based working is considered by many business experts as the working way of the future in any case, so setting it up now might save you money and time in the long run, especially if you work away regularly from a central office point.
The very next step you’ll need to take is to make sure that your anti-virus software is the very best you can afford. Sure there are cheaper versions out there, even free versions but they will not have the up-to-date and robust information that you need to defend your computer and your network. If you’re going to spend money on one thing, make it your anti-virus software.
Mac users should make sure their operating software is completely up-to-date and install upgrades when prompted.
So what happens when you do find yourself at the receiving end of a cyber attack?
The first thing you’ll need to do is shut everything down and get everyone who shares a network with you to do the same. If you can minimize the risk of transferring the virus, you’ll stand a much better chance of recovering any shared lost data.
Once you’re powered down, get in contact with your expert team and tell them the details of how the virus spread and where you think the most likely point of contact was. In most cases, it will be through an email, use of a rogue public wifi network..
With a great anti-virus defense and capable support, you should be back up and running in no time.