The 2016 FBI crime report shows that US companies lost over a billion dollars from cyber-attacks. Each year cybercrime has become increasingly more dangerous, sophisticated, and common. Dedicated efforts from criminals to breach system security is costing US companies large amounts of money, but for government agencies who oversee critical infrastructure, it could be even more devastating.
The strategies by cyber criminals to gain access to our systems is rapidly evolving. Security practices that minimize the potential of a data breach must adapt to changing attacks. Microsoft has identified a handful of the best security practices for Office 365.
Using multi factor authentication is a perfect place to start. MFA is an additional layer of security that requires a user attempting to login to a system to enter a password and to respond to a message from a phone call, text, email, or an app notification. This extra layer of security can remove the possibility of unauthorized access to the network even if the password is compromised. MFA is a secure and easy level of security because it does not require any change from the user other than a click on their phone or mouse.
With an Office 365 Enterprise plan you can set up policies that can track user data to protect the system from unauthorized access. Skyline IT Services can set up policies to monitor anomalous activity from the users so to alert admins in the case of unusual or risky user activity. This level of protection can lower the chances of a successful cyber-attack right away at no cost of business convenience.
In a cyber-attack, a victim will unknowingly infect their system by opening an email or entering a website. These emails and websites will have the appearance of a being legitimate, but will contain malicious software with intent to disrupting business. Microsoft Office 365 offers features to protect against unknown malware, viruses, and malicious URLs. Office 365 can allow you to configure anti-spam policies for your organization. An organization will generally not become aware of the infection on their system until the malware has finished encrypting system files. Learn about and how to best implement Advanced threat protection for your organization. Office 365 contains layers of security that can be adapted to individual organizations and best suit their business.
Skyline IT Services is San Diego’s premier technology solutions provider delivering comprehensive data protection. Our SkyVault™ Data protection appliance offers near real time backups and disaster recovery, so when you need it, it will work. When it matters the most, SkyVault™ will have your data protected. For any questions and concerns about your IT needs, Skyline IT Services’s expert technicians can tackle any problem and resolve any issue.
