How good are the security measures you have in place?

Take this quick 10 question quiz to see if you’re doing all you can to keep your data safe.
Learn why these best practices are integral to the success of your IT operations.

1. 1. Do you have a cybersecurity policy with an adequate level of coverage?
   1. A. Yes
   2. B. There are specific insurance policies for cybersecurity?

   Excellent! That’s a very important piece of protection for your business. Have you reviewed it recently to ensure you don’t have any coverage gaps (such as cyber war exclusions)?

   Even with the best cybersecurity defenses in place, organizations can fall victim to a cyberattack. Cyber insurance is designed to help businesses with the financial burden of returning to normal operations in the aftermath of a cyber incident. Types of coverage vary – first-party loss, first-party expenses, and third-party liability, each with specific parameters. You’ll want to find the policy that’s the right fit to protect your business and accelerate recovery in the event of an attack.

2. 2. Do your frontline/after-hours technicians know your emergency escalation procedures?
   1. A. Yes, we have clearly outlined procedures that the team are well trained in.
   2. B. Some of them do, but with recent staffing changes, everyone may not be up to date.
   3. C. We haven’t gone over that as a team.

   Great! It never hurts to review those procedures from time to time with the team to ensure everyone’s ready for the unexpected to happen.

   Onboarding new technicians is an ongoing process. Why not set aside some time to ensure everyone’s on the same page and ready to go?

   Unfortunately, it’s not a matter of IF things will go wrong, it’s a matter of WHEN. Empowering and training your team on how to respond to an emergency is critical to the success of your business.

3. 3. Have you tested your team with a drill?
   1. A. Yes, it went great.
   2. B. No, who has time for drills? We’re constantly fighting fires.

   You’re on top of it! Kudos!

   According to a Harvard Business Review study, “firms that ‘slowed down to speed up’ improved their top and bottom lines, averaging 40% higher sales and 52% higher operating profits over a three-year period.” Teams that take the time to get things right, rather than plowing ahead full steam, are more successful. Running a drill with your team ensures you have strategic alignment around your security initiatives and can expose flaws in the system before you’re in a position where those errors can cause real damage to your business.

4. 4. Is your Incident Response & Crisis Management Plan up to date?
   1. A. Yes, it’s ready to go.
   2. B. No, I’ll figure it out when it happens.

   Fantastic! If you want to check your plan against some helpful tips, you can find those here.

   It’s important to have a plan prepared for when something goes wrong because it helps you take control of the situation, and reduce the impact on your business. Here are some helpful tips to get started.

5. 5. When did you last run a test restore?
   1. A. This week
   2. B. This month
   3. C. More than 30 days ago
   4. D. More than 90 days ago

   There isn’t a concrete rule about how often you should check your backups and run a test restore. The key is to do it at a frequency that makes sense for your business and to always do it for a new environment (such as when you’re using a new cloud storage provider).

6. 6. I have a regular review cycle where I check in with my customers about what needs to be backed up _____.
   1. A. Monthly
   2. B. Quarterly
   3. C. Annually
   4. D. You know, it’s been a while…

   That’s awesome that you’re checking in regularly with your clients to ensure the right data is getting backed up, and nothing is getting missed.

   That’s awesome that you’re checking in regularly with your clients to ensure the right data is getting backed up, and nothing is getting missed.

   Things change inside businesses all the time. Ensuring that the right data is backed up, and nothing is getting missed, is the foundation to your success. (Have they added another drive or an employee that they haven’t thought to tell you about?) When something goes wrong, you want to be confident that everything the client needs will be included in the restore.

   Things change inside businesses all the time. Ensuring that the right data is backed up, and nothing is getting missed, is the foundation to your success. (Have they added another drive or an employee that they haven’t thought to tell you about?) When something goes wrong, you want to be confident that everything the client needs will be included in the restore.

7. 7. Do you use strong passwords?
   1. A. Of course, I’m a pro.
   2. B. I’ve been meaning to strengthen my passwords.

   Gold star! Your mom would be so proud.

   We recommend using randomly generated passwords with a variety of special characters, capital and lowercase letters, and numbers. The most secure way to keep things organized is to utilize password manager software, which encrypts the passwords.

   Implementing an "insider threat mitigation" strategy is also very important. When an employee leaves the organization or is dismissed, it's crucial to change passwords that person had access to in order to prevent tampering or sabotage.

   No time like the present to get that set up. Yes, right now. We’ll wait.

   We recommend using randomly generated passwords with a variety of special characters, capital and lowercase letters, and numbers. The most secure way to keep things organized is to utilize password manager software, which encrypts the passwords.

   Implementing an "insider threat mitigation" strategy is also very important. When an employee leaves the organization or is dismissed, it's crucial to change passwords that person had access to in order to prevent tampering or sabotage.

8. 8. Have you updated all default credentials?
   1. A. Look at you modeling those best practices! Way to go!
   2. B. I’ll go do that now…

   That’s great that you’re taking care of your customers who work in healthcare or need to respect data sovereignty regulations in the EU.

   Ahh mate…. This is my disappointed face. You know better than that.

9. 9. I have different levels of permissions set up to protect end users and mitigate insider threat risk (such as a disgruntled employee sabotaging your system).
   1. A. Yes
   2. B. No

   Excellent – setting tiers of permissions helps protect your business from both unexpected and, in some cases, unintentional risk and is therefore highly recommended.

   We all want to believe the best of the people around us, however it’s important to protect your business from all sorts of risks, including unexpected ones. Setting tiers of permission levels protects the business from intentional and, to a certain extent, unintentional mistakes – and is therefore highly recommended.

10. 10. My network is secure. I have anti-malware software in place. I’ve installed software updates. And I’ve hardened remote access.
    1. A. Already on top of all those areas.
    2. B. There are areas of my general security where I could improve.

    Fantastic! You’re all over this!

    These are important areas to address to keep your business protected and secure.

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