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Cybersecurity | Security

IT Support: Elements of a Well-Managed IT Environment for SMBs

June 28th, 2022 | 5 min. read

IT Support: Elements of a Well-Managed IT Environment for SMBs

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As today’s technologies continue to change, small to medium-sized businesses (SMBs) should have a solid IT infrastructure in place to meet the demands of their business. At Guide Star, we assist SMBs maintain and support their IT infrastructure. We offer a set of services to keep your IT running up to spec and your IT users well supported.

There are a few elements that your IT environment should have and Guide Star can help you implement them. Read on to learn what you should be incorporating into your IT infrastructure and why you should be prioritizing them for your business.

Password Management

Passwords are a top target for cybercriminals. It’s important that SMBs protect and manage their company passwords. All companies, regardless of size, should have a strong password policy in place. Having a password policy allows your company to set specific rules to determine if a password is secure and valid.

Password Complexity and Length

It’s important that your password policy includes certain standards like minimum length, special characters, uppercase/lowercase letters, and numbers.   You want your employees to create complex passwords that are hard to guess. For instance, a 4-digit pin on a phone only has10,000 combinations that can be cracked within minutes. On a computer, that same pin could be cracked within seconds. 

It should also be noted that passwords should be unique and not repeated, meaning that you shouldn’t use the same password on multiple platforms. If you use the same password for your email, social profiles, and online banking, you are more susceptible to getting hacked and exposing your confidential data.

Password Age

When it comes to your password policy, there should be a maximum age for all passwords. In a corporate environment, password policies can be set within Windows that determines a period of time (usually days) in which a user should change their password. This prevents a hacker from being able to use them because those credentials will be expired and no longer work.

Password Managers

Now that you’ve set policies around password complexity and age, how will your employees remember these unique passwords? One useful tool is a password manager. Using a password manager like LastPass or Passwork allow users to create complex passwords and “store” them in a secure vault. This takes away the need to memorize passwords and allows you to create stronger, complex passwords. These password managers also allow faster access to logging in by auto populating the username and password. This allows the user to get to work faster and spend less time trying to remember username

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 and password combos.

There are also some password managers that can manage shared accounts. If multiple users need access to a single account, the password manager will allow credentials to be shared . It does this by sharing the credentials without letting users view the password. This allows for a securer system and limits the amount of users that can control the password to an account.

Updated Devices and Operating Systems

Keeping your devices and operating systems updated is a key factor to prevent your network from getting hacked. When a device or operating system has a vulnerability, or a weak area of the system, hackers can exploit or break into the system from the vulnerable point.

When an operating system, like Windows, identifies a vulnerability, they recommend all users of that system to update the software. When you don’t update the software, hackers are already aware of the identified vulnerability and can get into your systems much quicker. Hackers actively seek out users that don’t update their systems because they know that the exploit is there.

The next time you see an update is available for your operating system or device, make sure to install the update! This is a simple, easy, and cost effective way to keep your systems secure and makes it harder for hackers to get in.

User Training

According to a study done by Stanford University and Tessian, approximately 88% of all data breaches are caused by employee error. That is why it’s crucial that you have user training in place to teach your employees about things like cybersecurity threats and vulnerabilities. This allows them to identify threats before they become a problem.

Phishing is a leading cause of data breaches around the world. Employees need to be able to identify emails that are untrustworthy and could be a potential phishing scam. Cybercriminals are crafting fake emails that are much harder for machines and employees to identify. If employees can recognize a threat, they won’t input their credentials into something they aren’t familiar with or click on any links.

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A big part of training is repetition and keeping the content fresh on your employees minds. While you might already have one large annual training, it’s good to have frequent, smaller training sessions throughout the year. Continuous training is essential to protect your organization against attackers. It also allows employees to develop and update their knowledge to stay up to date with industry trends.

In our 3 Components You Need in a Cybersecurity Training Program blog, we outline the measures you should be taking to educate your employees about cybersecurity. It’s important to note that you should not develop your own training content. You should seek out cybersecurity training programs that keep their content relevant and up to date.

Let Guide Star Help You

We understand that having a well-managed IT environment can be a huge task. At Guide Star, we have a dedicated team of IT professionals that can help you administer the tools you need to keep your company and employees safe. Investing in tools like cyber training can help you avoid costly data breaches, saving you money in the long run.

Contact us today to get started by giving us a call at (844) 403-8551 or emailing sales@guide-star.com.