ENDURANCE

The technology environment in which we all operate is sadly not getting any safer. Bad actors are constantly looking to exploit vulnerabilities, meaning we all need to remain ever vigilant. This month we look at two very different aspects of how to do this – one physical, one technological – to help maintain your cyber safety and data security.    

Recycling safely

We all use a variety of devices to perform daily tasks at home and in the office. When these come to the end of their useful life, it’s vital to make sure they are properly recycled to safeguard your data as well as protecting the environment. When you are ready to dispose of your old tech, be sure to follow these steps:

• back up important data
• perform a factory reset
• remove any external storage
• check whether the manufacturer has a recycling program
• only use certified e-waste recyclers
• consider donating functional devices (once you have erased your data)
• shred hard drives if necessary (a secure-erase option is built into Windows 10/11)

Planning for cyber resilience

The bad actors behind cyber attacks are becoming ever more resourceful and, sometimes, it can feel like you have closed one door but the hackers are already trying to open another. Indeed this article by Silicon UK looks at some research undertaken by Zscaler revealing that 60% of global businesses expect to suffer a cyber breach this year. Whilst this might seem a little depressing, one could argue that this is actually some good progress in awareness of the risks. We have often talked about steps you can take to protect your business – including the human element – but one key message to take is that of consistency. It’s no good having a short term cyber security blitz and then take your eye off the ball. Reviewing where you are now, where you need to be and what you need to do to get there is brilliant, but, to be truly resilient you need to make sure the checks and balances are ongoing to become ingrained into your team’s culture.