Is Your Business Cybersecurity More Like a Fortress or a Sandcastle?

They say a man’s home is his castle. We’d contend that a more apt comparison is that someone’s business is more like their castle, realistically speaking.

As such, it is essential to ensure your security in every way possible. Much like a traditional castle was constructed to keep threats out, your business’ security needs to be approached in a similar way.

While we aren’t suggesting that you literally dig a moat or maintain cauldrons full of boiling oil, you do need to implement security measures that serve the same purpose for your business and its network.

Constructing Your Cybersecurity Castle

Let’s break down the necessary cybersecurity protections you need to have as they relate to the many fortifications that castles of yesteryear relied on.

Your Firewall is Like the Moat that Protects the Rest of Your Network

When you consider that castles were designed to keep threats out, the presence of a moat that must be crossed only makes sense. For modern businesses and their networks, this role is filled by the firewall. By blocking a large majority of unwanted and unsolicited traffic from coming in, your firewall serves as a type of moat for your network.

Gatekeepers of the Past are Represented Via Multi-Factor Authentication

Castles of yore often had guards at the gates, stationed there to keep unwanted visitors out. These gatekeepers commonly requested a password and would occasionally require additional proof, like an official summons, before they would welcome someone in. 

Similarly, multi-factor authentication demands a password but also requires more proof before access is granted, in the form of a generated code or a biometric proof. It’s one thing to let in someone who knows the password “Humperdinck,” it’s quite another to also check to see if they have six fingers on their right hand before allowing them in (for those who have seen The Princess Bride).

Roving Guards Exemplify Endpoint Detection and Response Measures

Of course, once one managed to make it through the gate, they were by no means free to do all they may have wished. Additional guards would often patrol the halls of the castle, actively keeping an eye out for anything suspicious. Nowadays, endpoint detection and response tools serve essentially the same purpose, identifying any suspicious network activity or user behavior and reacting accordingly.

Today’s Employees Need to Take on the Role of Guard as Well

In historic battles, opposing forces often employed siege engines to attack castles, allowing enemy warriors and spies to access otherwise protected areas. Once they were in, everyone needed to remain vigilant and prepared to identify any potential threats. Your team needs to be trained to do the same. They are more likely to encounter phishing messages and other similar attacks, so they need to be prepared to identify them and respond accordingly by reporting the suspect message to IT.

Don’t Build Your Castle on Sand… Give it a Secure Foundation and the Defenses it Needs

Without a stable base upon which to build your security precautions, your business is likely to cave to the first siege it encounters. The proper security can prevent defeat and help bring you to victory. Back then, this would take experienced generals, brave knights, and plenty of foot soldiers to accomplish.

Today, all you need is the proper expertise on your side.

White Mountain IT Services is here to provide that expertise to the businesses and organizations of New Hampshire, assisting them in securing their networks and training their team members to repel threats. You could be one of these businesses.

Learn more about what we can offer and how it benefits you by calling us at (603) 889-0800.