Without the right IT foundation, companies can be hampered in a number of ways, including the inability to properly communicate with customers or costly risks due to cyberthreats.
Approximately 95% of companies now rely on Software as a Service (SaaS) tools to operate their business.
If you’re starting a new business in 2021 or beyond, what type of foundational technology tools do you need?
Here are some of the basics that it takes to ensure your company starts off productively and can compete in today’s technology-driven world.
Effective Network
Today’s businesses are connected, or they might as well be closed. It’s important to have a strategic network framework that connect you to the outside world as well as within your company.
This includes putting together a strong wireless network that gives your team reliable coverage and bandwidth speeds throughout your building. It also includes using ethernet where it makes sense to further optimize your network variety, strength, and speed.
Secure Wi-Fi
It’s vital to have secure Wi-Fi so your business data is not being compromised. This means using standard password protected routers and other security protocols designed to keep out hackers and stop “man-in-the-middle” attacks.
It’s also important to consider secure Wi-Fi solutions for your remote employees, through services like a virtual private network (VPN). VPNs keep communications secure and encrypted to prevent hacking and data leakage on less secure networks.
Next-Gen Firewall
Threats are always coming into a company through its network. The firewall is your first line of defense to detect and block all types of attacks.
Cyberattacks in Canada have surged during the pandemic, and over 10% of surveyed companies had a data breach between March and September 2020.
A next-gen firewall offers advanced threat protection that can help detect insider threats, such as when a hacker gains access to a user password. It also allows you to set strict security policies that allow for automated response when a threat is detected.
Multi-layered PC Security
Device security is another vital component when setting up a new business, and it needs to include multiple layers. Endpoints can be breached in several ways, requiring a strategy that looks for all those entry points and blocks them.
Some of the PC security protections to include are:
- Anti-malware/antivirus software
- DNS Filtering to block malicious sites
- Strong browser security settings
- Update and patch management to ensure updates are being installed
Credential and Email Monitoring
Credential theft is at an all-time high. Hackers can get around many system safeguards when logged in as a legitimate system user.
One of the tactics that cybercriminals deploy when they do breach a user account is to use that user’s email to send out spam and phishing attacks.
77% of cloud account breaches are due to compromised login credentials.
It’s important to put protections in place that monitor your login authentications and email accounts.
Some of these include:
- Using multi-factor authentication (MFA)
- Using a single sign-on (SSO) tool
- Email rules in programs like MS Exchange for alerts on high email send volume
- Advanced identity management based upon privilege level and login location
Anti-Spam Software
Phishing is the number one delivery method for malware and other types of online attacks. These emails are becoming increasingly more sophisticated and more difficult for users to tell from the real thing.
Using anti-spam filtering software is vital to keeping both spam and phishing emails out of user inboxes. This increases productivity and can prevent your company from becoming a victim of ransomware, spyware, or another type of attack.
Reliable Backup & Recovery Tools
Without your business data, your company is effectively closed. Many organisations have had to shut down for days due to something like a ransomware attack that made their data unusable.
It’s critical to have an easily restored backup copy of all your data from all employee and company devices and cloud services. This ensures that you’re covered in case of multiple worst-case scenarios.
A backup and recovery tool can keep you from suffering major data loss due to:
- Natural disaster
- Manmade disaster
- Ransomware or malware attack
- Accidental deletion or overwriting
- Malicious deletion
- Hard drive crash
- Lost or stolen device
Cloud Productivity Tools
After last year and a global pandemic that forced most companies around the world to adjust to virtual workflows, the need for cloud tools has become apparent.
Today’s businesses need to have systems that can be accessed from anywhere and from any device. This requires cloud productivity tools that offer a way to collaborate, connect, and serve customers from anywhere.
Platforms like Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, all-in-one CRM applications, and VoIP are all becoming the standard basics to keep a business running.
Put Together a Digital Infrastructure Affordably With Data First Solutions
Data First Solutions can help your Toronto area company implement a new digital infrastructure that’s effective, efficient, and affordable for your new business.
Contact us today to book a free assessment. Call 416-412-0576 or book your assessment online.
