Securing Your Workplace with Microsoft 365

Recent times have been very stressful for business owners –  it’s safe to say times haven’t been easy for anyone! These added worries take up a lot of time and energy, but that doesn’t mean that the security of your data should go down in your list of tasks, because it must remain at the very top of your business-related concerns.

Even with the cyber threat growing exponentially over recent years – especially since the outbreak of Covid-19 – most business owners don’t realise that it is one of the biggest threats they face daily. The ever-changing digital landscape of the modern workplace leads this – as developments in technology also result in increased methods of cyber attack.

The Corona virus pandemic has been an opportunity to cyber criminals, because the general public and most importantly business owners, were distracted, and this has allowed them to attack business owners at their most vulnerable time.

Your IT system – regardless of the industry in which your organisation resides – is likely to be the catalyst to your success as a business, and houses all essential tools to the business, your sensitive data, your means of communication, and ultimately everything that allows your business to operate. But it is under attack! Cyber criminals will stop at nothing to get hold of your data whatever it may be.

Small businesses aren’t immune

Just because your business is small it does by no means mean that you are immune to attacks because ‘you aren’t worth the time’. It is, in fact, the opposite, because being small makes you – on the surface – an easier target, as they think you will have inadequate defences, lower budgets, and a lack of technical infrastructure. If you are a criminal looking for a quick buck, would you rather attack the large organisation with elaborate defences and risk it not being successful, or would you rather aim for the organisation that is woefully unprepared with defences that are either non-existent or easy to breach? I know which I would choose.

Securing Microsoft 365

There are a variety of different tools, policies, and procedures available on the market, along with IT user educational tools that need to be implemented to be certain that you and your team are secure. Small businesses have been doing their best to at least provide some protection against cyber attacks occurring within their organisation. With them having such little knowledge of what they are looking at, it can make this a perilous road to embark down, and with the options for tools being many often they just buy the cheapest option. Most businesses start with anti-virus software, a password policy in place, and perhaps a Firewall configured – is this enough to defend your systems?

Email – The vulnerabilities

Email is one of the few constants in the tech world. Its long illustrious career at the very peak of business communication continues, although nowadays there are other forms which are just as, and more, effective.

Cyber criminals play on our reliance on Email, and use our lack of knowledge around the potential problems that come with them to target individual user accounts and trick them into allowing access or handing over access to company funds.

It has become exceedingly more difficult to determine a malicious Email from a genuine one. Let’s take a look at two of the most common forms of Phishing attack where the cyber criminals mask themselves as different entities to force the hand of their target.

Masked as a brand or company

This form of attack has always been popular but in recent years – and partially due to the pandemic – its popularity has risen exponentially. During the pandemic the most prolific and ambitious impersonation attack was aimed at HM Revenue and Customs, when the cyber criminals used the lure of tax rebates and support funds – that many were in desperate need of during the pandemic – to cheat their target, playing on the needs and worries of the public.

Masked as a company employee or director

This method is not quite as popular but remains one of the more prominent ways cyber criminals are successfully completing cyber attacks.

An ambitious method but, if successful, it can be one of the most lucrative of all – cyber criminals are clever. Large corporations have fallen victim to cyber attacks from criminals masking themselves as the financial director. One of the ways of doing this is to send an Email to the financial team impersonating the CFO’s personal mailbox, request funds to an account and they have succeeded. You may wonder why they are so willing to send money – but if the Email has a full ‘E’ signature on it why would you not? It is not your employees’ fault – with the correct ‘E’ signature as well as the Email coming from what appears to be the correct source anyone would fall for it without the proper training.

Ransomware – The dangers

The internet is full of Malware (malicious software) – in particular, Ransomware. Ransomware is designed with the intention of removing your access to data by encrypting your files behind a secure key, which only the cyber attacker has. Once the cyber criminal has your data they then hold it to ransom (hence the name Ransomware).

365 – A Secure and Safe Environment

4TC take time to understand the daily challenges that your business faces. We then provide cost-effective tech solutions to these issues that will help you save time, protect vital data, and enable you and your staff to be more effective with your time management. Alongside our proactive IT support, we will ensure that your staff are using the technology at their disposal in a way that works for them, whilst making sure that they are educated on how to use it as productively as possible. The right Cloud solution has the power to revolutionise your business forever – utilising your IT to its full potential is essential to guaranteeing that you and your business can thrive and grow into the future. If you would like to find out more on how 4TC Services can provide affordable tech management for your business, drop us an email or call us now for a full demonstration.