Want to protect your business? Try these creative cybersecurity strategies

As the cybersecurity landscape continues to shift and change, new incidents occur with the speed of breaking news. Fresh data breach reports happen every day. Password hacks at one company lead to identity theft at another. New strains of ransomware continue to spread like wildfire. Most of us are doing all we can just to understand the threats, much less counter them.

That's where layered cybersecurity becomes so important. Businesses operating in today's digital world need multiple layers of protection. That way, if a suspicious email message gets through a network firewall, it will be flagged by a mail server's anti-virus software. If an illicit email link is clicked or an infected attachment is opened, an individual computer should detect the suspicious activity or unexpected problem.

It all sounds like a headache, right? Maybe - but the integrity of your business is at risk. That's why CMIT Solutions has developed five creative ways to think about cybersecurity.

1. Truth or dare: Is your password comprised of a combination of your children's names? Perhaps your first pet's name? Or maybe your grandmother's name? Everyone picks passwords that are easy to remember - but easy to remember equals easy to hack. Everyone knows how easy it is to reveal presumably secure password. Hackers can even try out billions of combinations in seconds. That's why passwords should be like Fight Club. Rule One: never talk about your passwords. Ever.

2. Firewalls are your best friend: Firewalls stop cyberthreats, period. But many business owners try to cut corners and use lower-cost alternatives that simply don't provide the same level of protection as enterprise-class protections. Would you scrimp on a lifesaving medical procedure? No. Should you scrimp on a business-saving security measure? The answer is also no. Firewalls form the first line of a strong perimeter defense.

3. Emails are like an invitation to a wild party: When you receive it, you don't know what's going to happen. Click on an unsafe link from a nefarious sender and you might find yourself walking down ransomware lane, searching for bitcoin to get your data back. The real problem is that it's incredibly easy to accidentally click on such an illicit link. That's why strong email security is so important - it can prevent those pesky emails from ever reaching your inbox. An ounce of prevention can literally save your business.

4. Anti-virus and malware threat protection is like the bacon on your favorite cheeseburger: You might be tempted to take it for granted, but when it's missing, nothing is right. Teamed up with firewalls and email security, anti-virus and anti-malware software provides the most basic level of protection for desktops, laptops, servers, and other machines. Essential. Mandatory. In other words, never forget it.

5. Data encryption is the get out of jail free card: If you encrypt private information sent in emails, perform regular encrypted backups of your data (both at rest and in transit), and treat data encryption as the security protocol of last resort, you'll never have to go to data breach jail. Your data might get hacked, mind you.

But with a trusty backup in place, you can recover your data - often just hours after an incident. Hackers loathe data encryption because it works. Make sure you encrypt every piece of data you can.

CMIT Solutions' philosophy on IT service is proactive, not reactive: we monitor our clients' systems 24x7 so that we can identify, prevent, and resolve issues before they affect productivity, efficiency, and security, not after they have already occurred.

From firewalls to anti-virus, anti-spam, and anti-malware software to data encryption and compliance, we believe a layered approach gives businesses the best chance to stay secure.

Of course, 100 percent security requires 110 percent effort, which is why we go above and beyond to provide a digital safety net for our clients. If you're worried about gaps in your IT strategy, contact CMIT Solutions.

•Deb Reiter is CEO and Chief Technology Advisor for CMIT Solutions of The Tri-Cities in Batavia. Contact her at dreiter@cmitsolutions.com.