Unlike a desktop computer that you keep behind locked doors in an office, a laptop moves around, and in the process, it can get lost or stolen. This is where you need to think about cyber security and ask your business IT support services team for guidance. Someone could get access to sensitive business data when they are not authorised to do so. So here are five essential tips that will enable you to maximise the security of your business laptops.
Protect everything with a password
It is not enough to have a strong login password for your laptop. You should also consider having specific passwords on certain folders or applications on the laptop that contain sensitive information. An excellent strong password on these will often be enough to stop a would-be hacker.
These passwords should be random and complex so that they are too complicated for someone to guess. The best way to keep track of your business passwords is with a password vault application like Lastpass or 1Password.
Suppose you happen to forget your password and you haven’t saved it in a password manager application. In that case, you can call upon local computer repairs experts in your area to get reset fast, avoiding data loss.
Get the best antivirus software
If your business laptops have Microsoft Windows installed, then they come pre-installed with Windows Defender antivirus program. This will offer you good essential protection, but a more advanced antivirus program from a vendor like AVG or Norton will provide better security.
Also, ensure your business laptops remain connected to your office network, where you should have a strong firewall on your router. AVG and Norton also provide firewall protection to each business laptop you install them on, so make sure they are set up and configured correctly.
Perform a regular data backup
You need to ensure that your business data is backed up regularly. If a laptop is mechanically damaged or is lost or stolen, the data on it can be recovered quickly if a backup exists. Depending on how often your business laptops are being used, you might want to back them up anywhere from hourly to weekly.
The best approach to backing up is to have a local restore point and a cloud-based restore point. That way, if you are using an external hard drive as your local restore point, and if something happens to it, you will still have the added peace of mind of the cloud-based restore point.
Stay on top of critical system updates
It is essential to keep your computer up to date because software vendors like Microsoft are regularly releasing patches to address vulnerabilities that have been found in their software. So ensure that updates are set to download and install automatically, and ensure you periodically restart your business laptops so that the updates are applied.
Understand how to manage your computer's firewall
Make sure you manage your system’s firewall so that you have control over what data flows through your business laptops. Sometimes you might find that the default settings prevent you from downloading specific files or running certain applications, which could prevent you from working efficiently. Be sure to create exceptions in your Windows firewall for trusted applications that you regularly use on your business laptops that need to bypass the firewall.
Conclusion
Using a business laptop allows you to work effectively and efficiently wherever you might be. However, this freedom of movement does create risks for the data you have stored on the laptop. So be sure to implement the above solutions to allow yourself peace of mind and keep your business data safe.
Get a clear picture of your laptop security, speak to Intuitive Strategy, Melbourne’s computer repair specialists for small business. Intuitive Strategy offers a no-obligation business consultation for small to medium enterprises in Melbourne, assisting them in deploying safe, secure and redundant laptop and workstation data backup solutions.
