How to Secure a Business Network

Modern businesses hold a vast amount of data and personal information that is considered highly valuable. For instance, Google and Facebook profit off our data every single year.

Threat actors and cybercriminals acutely understand how valuable personal data and sensitive information can be, and aim to get their hands on as much as they possibly can in the name of profit. With most threat-actors being monetarily motivated, businesses need to invest in network security to deter and avoid as many attacks as possible, while also establishing protocols for cyber incidents that do occur.

With more users, devices, and software applications in use, there is a higher chance for network vulnerabilities and points of exploit, giving threat-actors more opportunities. So as your technology advances, so should your cybersecurity.

That’s why it’s important for businesses to understand what network security is, how it protects them, and the ways in which a layered cybersecurity strategy actively reduce organizational cyber risk levels.

If you’re looking for a network security provider, but aren’t sure where to start or who to trust, learn more about DOT Security services and operations on our Why DOT? Page!

What Is Network Security for Businesses?

Business network security involves implementing measures and protocols to protect an organization's digital infrastructure from unauthorized access, data breaches, and cyberattacks. This includes the use of firewalls, intrusion detection systems, encryption, secure access controls, and regular security audits to safeguard sensitive information and ensure the integrity and availability of network resources.

Additionally, it encompasses policies and employee training to promote awareness and adherence to best practices for maintaining a secure network environment.

How Does It Work?

Properly securing a business’ network involves a multi-faceted cybersecurity strategy that includes features like access management, endpoint protection, next-gen antivirus software, password management, workforce education, and much more.

Each of these aspects of the strategy work together to strengthen the others and result in effective business network security.

Steps to Secure a Business Network

Here are a few steps a business can take to help secure their network.

Educate Employees on Cybersecurity Threats, Best Practices and, Protocols

Organization-wide education in cybersecurity best practices is a crucial step toward securing a business’ network because 95% of threats can be traced to user error.

Clicking on dangerous links, opening attachments, and downloading unverified software are all examples of how users can unwittingly invite malicious actors into a business network and cause a data breach.

Businesses should be conscious of their employees’ ability to prevent breaches and their susceptibility to social engineering techniques.

Ensure your workforce is properly educated on:

• Potential threats
• Your organization's cybersecurity protocols
• How to create strong passwords
• Updating software frequently

Have a Backup Plan

Unforeseen circumstances can throw a wrench in the best laid plans.

It’s important every business has a plan for these situations in the form of data backup and recovery to ensure nothing important is lost and that operations can be back up and running instantly. If a business experiences a service outage or is hacked, a backup and recovery plan reduces downtime, saves money, and preserves crucial data.

Regularly Update Software

Software developers are constantly updating their products—such as anti-virus, firewalls, operating systems, apps—with new security measures that secure old vulnerabilities and reduce errors in the code.

If your software isn’t kept up to date, you’re putting your network at risk and introducing an entirely preventable situation.

Old versions of software have been scoured by bad actors who find and seek out vulnerabilities, if you keep these outdated versions active on your devices, hackers know exactly where to look to find a way in.

Stay Up to Date on the Latest Threats

Cybercriminals are constantly changing up the ways in which they attempt to steal information or penetrate a network.

Make sure your entire organization is updated on these threats so that everyone knows what to look out for and how to avoid falling victim to these scams.

Consistent cybersecurity education is highly recommended in this case as an educated workforce can be a massive aid in the overall security of a business.

Security professionals should also be confident in their knowledge of what threats they’re facing and their ability to contain new and emerging attack vectors into their network.

Types of Business Network Security Solutions

In order to execute the steps we talked about above, a business needs access to top-of-the-line security features and solutions, like:

Endpoint Security

Endpoint security focuses on protecting end-user devices such as desktops, laptops, smartphones, and tablets that connect to a corporate network. These endpoints are prime targets for cybercriminals seeking to launch attacks or gain unauthorized access to an organization’s network.

Key components of endpoint security include endpoint detection and response (EDR) solutions, which provide continuous monitoring and analysis of endpoint activities, encryption, which plays a critical role in protecting data on the network, and antivirus applications that prevent malware from launching on devices.

By integrating technology, policies, and user education, endpoint security aims to provide a robust defense against threats targeting end-user devices.

Identity & Access Management

Identity and access management (IAM) in network security refers to the policies, processes, and technologies used to manage digital identities and control access to an organization's resources. IAM ensures that only authorized individuals have the appropriate access to critical systems and data, thereby reducing the risk of unauthorized access and potential security breaches.

Key components of IAM include authentication, which verifies the identity of a user, and authorization, which determines the level of access granted to that user. Common methods for authentication include passwords, biometrics, and multi-factor authentication (MFA), which adds an extra layer of security by requiring additional verification steps.

IAM also involves the implementation of role-based access controls, where permissions are assigned based on the user's role within the organization. This ensures that employees have access only to the information and systems necessary for their job functions, minimizing the risk of insider threats and data leakage.

Network Security Monitoring

Network security monitoring involves the continuous observation and analysis of a network to detect and respond to security threats and vulnerabilities in real time. This process uses various tools and technologies, such as intrusion detection systems (IDS), intrusion prevention systems (IPS), and security information and event management (SIEM) systems, to monitor network traffic, logs, and activities.

By analyzing patterns and anomalies, these systems can identify potential security incidents, such as unauthorized access attempts, malware infections, and data exfiltration.

An effective network security monitoring strategy includes the deployment of sensors and agents across the network to collect data, which is then centralized and analyzed. Security analysts investigate alerts generated by monitoring tools to determine their validity and severity.

This proactive approach enables organizations to quickly identify and mitigate threats, reducing the risk of data breaches and minimizing potential damage.

Backup & Disaster Recovery

Backup and disaster recovery (BDR) is a critical component of a comprehensive network security strategy, ensuring business continuity and data protection in the event of data loss or system failure. Backup involves regularly copying data from primary storage to a secondary location, which can be onsite, offsite, or in the cloud.

This process ensures that data can be restored in case of accidental deletion, hardware failure, or cyberattacks such as ransomware. Effective backup strategies typically include full, incremental, and differential backups, scheduled to run at regular intervals to minimize data loss.

Disaster recovery (DR) focuses on restoring IT infrastructure and operations after a significant disruption, such as natural disasters, cyberattacks, or system failures. A disaster recovery plan outlines the procedures and technologies required to recover data, applications, and services within a specified timeframe, known as the recovery time objective (RTO).

By combining robust backup practices with a well-defined disaster recovery plan, organizations can minimize downtime, reduce the impact of disruptions, and maintain business operations in the face of unexpected events.

Why Businesses Choose to Partner With MSSPs for Business Network Security

Properly securing a business network involves a lot of moving parts with consistent hardware and software updates and ever-evolving threats, technology, and strategies. To stay secure, there’s no time to rest on your laurels.

Keeping up with it all can be a daunting task for small or over-burdened IT or cybersecurity teams who may lack the knowledge to tackle such a variety of tasks.

Whether you have an in-house team or no security team at all, partnering with a managed security service provider allows businesses who can’t afford or don’t have the time to build and maintain a complete internal team with a fully-fledged team of cybersecurity experts at their disposal.

MSSPs have specialists in every facet of cybersecurity who can assess a business’ needs, build a tailored strategy, and implement that strategy with long-term management to ensure everything works, is updated and is ready to fight future threats.

Final Thoughts on Business Network Security

Securing a business network means building a fully-fledged cybersecurity strategy that covers all the bases from device management to software upgrades to access control.

The number of layers involved can be overwhelming to small or inexperienced internal teams, but partnering with an MSSP can alleviate these issues because they provide all the expertise, tools, strategies, and management that you need to stay secure.

If you want to start building a powerful and comprehensive cybersecurity strategy to protect your network, but aren’t exactly sure where to begin, check out our Why DOT? Page for more information on what a partnership with an MSSP looks like!