Does your SMB have an internal IT department? Chances are that it is a major pain point for your organization, and even if you do have one, it might be bogged down with so much work that mistakes can happen and threats can slip through the cracks. Sometimes the best way to protect your network is to know where and how threats manage to get there in the first place.

At ActiveCo Technology Management, we call this type of preventative measure “penetration testing.” It’s designed to test your network for any outlets that can be exploited by hackers or other threats that want to do harm to your network systems. This could include testing your workstations for vulnerabilities, ensuring that all of your software and hardware is up to date, and examining any mobile device usage on your network. As such, it’s a critical part of maintaining a safe and healthy network infrastructure.

Penetration Testing Also Means Testing Your End-Users
With network security, one of the often-ignored outlets for a threat infiltration stems from the end-user. If they accidentally hand over credentials, or download a malicious file off the Internet, you could be looking at a virus or malware takeover. In a worst-case scenario, they could walk into a phishing scam and have your entire system encrypted by ransomware. The ransomware could be Cryptowall, and the entire infrastructure could be encrypted with military-grade encryption, forcing you to either pay up or restore a backup.

All of these situations can be avoided if you properly train your employees on how to avoid online threats. Many security best practices are common-sense, but it helps to provide a refresher on how best to approach threats to security. Regularly quiz your employees on what to do if they encounter a potentially dangerous situation, and emphasize the importance of data security in your corporate culture.

Plan for Possible Scenarios
One of the best ways that you can protect your infrastructure is putting together emergency management plans for how to handle specific scenarios. This way, your organization won’t be caught off-guard by unexpected disasters that have the potential to derail your operations. Here are just a few examples of situations you’ll want to prepare for:

• Hacking attacks
• Data loss
• Natural disasters
• Hardware failure
• Other downtime-causing situations

Is your business prepared to handle the burden of network security, and can you protect your network from the many threats that lurk on the Internet? Your business doesn’t have to suffer at the hands of unplanned disasters. To learn how your business can better prepare for the future and keep threats out of your network, reach out to us at 604.931.3633.