Network security is such an important part of running a business, and with cyber threats constantly evolving and becoming more and more sophisticated (and therefore harder to spot), it’s crucial for businesses to have strong security measures in place when it comes to their IT and networks. With that in mind, here are five tactics to harden network security that you can put in place for peace of mind.

Strong Access Controls

Access control is a massive part of network security because when you restrict access to sensitive data and information, you can reduce the risk of losing that data or of it falling into the wrong hands. That’s why you should start by implementing a good authentication system, such as multi-factor authentication (MFA) so that you can be sure only authorized people can access the network and all the important things within it. Plus, you can use the idea of ‘least privilege’ so that users only have the permissions they need to do their own jobs – any more is unnecessary and could be a risk. If their job roles change, you can update their privileges at that time.

Encrypt Network Traffic

Encryption is another essential tactic you can put in place for network security – if you encrypt network traffic, you’ll be protecting the data as it travels through your network. How? When things are encrypted, it means that no one other than authorized personnel can read the data, and if that data was intercepted along its route, the hacker wouldn’t be able to make sense of it because they wouldn’t have the key, and that would make the data useless. Encryption might not stop a cybercriminal from getting into your network, but it will prevent them from using what they find once they’re there.

Keep Software Up-To-Date

One of the easiest ways for hackers to get into your network is through outdated software – after all, the older the software is, the more time cybercriminals have had to come up with routes through it, so it all becomes a lot easier. To reduce this risk, it’s simply a matter of ensuring that all your software is as up-to-date as possible because it will be a lot harder for hackers to gain access. You don’t necessarily have to keep buying new software if you want to ensure your network security is as good as it can be; just keep an eye on your computers and if you’re asked to upgrade something, say yes. It might mean the machine is out of action for a while, but that’s far better than leaving things open to hackers.

Harden Network Devices

Network devices are things like routers, switches, and firewalls, and they really are the frontline of defense against cybercriminals, so if you want good network security, this area is a good one to concentrate on. To boost your network security, you can harden these devices by disabling any unnecessary services, closing unused ports, and putting some firewall rules in place to filter your inbound and outbound traffic. Also put in some strong passwords so it can all be kept safer.

Train Your Staff

No matter what you do to improve your network security, human error is still going to be a big factor – possibly the biggest factor of all. That’s why it’s wise to train your staff so they understand what cyber threats are and how they can reduce them wherever possible. The more people know about the potential problems, the more vigilant they can be about how they use the network, and the less chance there is of something going wrong.