in: Company News
If you haven’t considered cybersecurity as part of your ERP software project or maintenance, now is the time to do so. Gartner predicts nearly 100% of large company leaders will be asked by their boards to have a cybersecurity and technology risks plan in place. The risk to companies is enormous, and top leaders know this. Hackers exposed 4.1 billion records in the first half of 2019 alone.
Companies who aren’t prepared for cyberattacks have imaginary targets printed on their virtual doors. It’s time to get serious about cybersecurity and how your company’s ERP software can mitigate against such attacks.
5 Steps to Take Now to Boost ERP Software Security
In the movies, hackers always seem to be smart, albeit creepy, people hiding in darkened basements typing frantically at computers like techie safe crackers. In reality, most cyberattacks occur when companies let their guard down and make mistakes that allow criminals entry into their systems.
There are five ways to take immediate action to prevent cyberattacks on your systems:
- Plan for an attack: It’s probably not a question of if but when an attack will be launched against your data. The question is, are you prepared? A cybersecurity plan is a must to deal with the problems caused by an attack and its aftermath. Such a plan should involve IT specialists, human resources and legal teams, and anyone else in your company who handles sensitive data. Discuss how to alert both internal and external stakeholders when a breach occurs, who will communicate relevant information, and who will initiate system lockdown. Now, when things are going smoothly, is the time to discuss and brainstorm solutions and actions in the event of a cyberattack.
- Initiate encryption: Encryption acts like a key that “locks” data so, in the event of a successful data breath, the data itself is more difficult to access and use. Encrypting sensitive data is a good way to prevent criminals from accessing and reselling stolen personal identification, for example.
- Track hardware: Online cyberattacks are only part of the problem. Physical devices can be stolen, too. A stolen or lost cellphone may contain plenty of useful passwords and login credentials for everything from a bank account to the company’s financial records. Make sure all company-issued hardware is tagged and inventoried, and have a plan in place to lock down any laptops, tablets, or smartphones that are lost or stolen.
- Educate teams: This is where an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Cyberattacks on ERP software may not necessarily come from an outside attack on the main databank. Instead, they can be sneaky, coming into the company through phishing emails, trojan and malware viruses, and similar methods. The best way to prevent such entry points is to educate your entire staff on what cyberattacks look like. Many people are unaware of how to spot phishing scams, for example. By showing people what they look like and teaching them to be cautious, you may prevent criminals from gaining access to your systems through innocent-looking emails.
- Practice what-if scenarios: Another method to educate teams is to practice “what if” scenarios. Like a fire drill that shows people where the emergency stairs and fire alarms are located in an office building, “what if” scenarios help people practice the skills they need to prevent or handle cyberattacks, too.
ERP software and security may not be something you think about every day, but it’s definitely something you should think about before it happens. With so much at stake, it pays to create a plan, practice the implementation steps, and hope you never have to use it.
Mindover Software
Mindover Software is a software reseller with a broad range of accounting, ERP, finance, customer relationship management, and other software products, including Acumatica software. For more information about Acumatica or other software needs, please contact us or call 512-990-3994.
