Can your business afford to lose to cybercrime? In 2019, the Australian Cyber Security Centre received approximately 144 reports of cybercrime relating to small business, costing small businesses an estimated $300m per year.* That's huge. And it's completely unnecessary. Security is essential for any business operating in 2020. But once you've decided to move to new accounting or ERP software, how do you make sure the system you've chosen has got your data security top of mind? Here's what to look for to make sure you don't become a cybercrime statistic.
Check for secure, Aussie based servers
Check if your chosen software is hosted in Australian-based data centres and whether those are internationally recognised for safety and strict security operations. Such as the Microsoft Azure data centres. These fast and secure servers are located in Sydney and Melbourne and allow for geo redundancies and federally-compliant database-level disaster recovery.
Choose cloud-based software
When your data is stored securely in the cloud, you can access it from anywhere, at any time, from any device. So it's always safe and easy for your people to get to. Win-win.
Look for internationally recognised security certifications
The BSI Group is the industry leader for certifying international security standards. The accreditations you should look out for are ISO27001 and ISO27017. If the software you choose has these certifications, you can be sure they apply best-practice security controls and that your confidential information is safe.
Keep your data under lock, key, padlock and security fence
Would you leave the key to your house in the front door? Of course you wouldn't. But if you don't have password-protected software, that's just what you're doing at work. You're inviting cybercrime into your system to do what they want with your data. So password protection is a no brainer.
Make sure the software you choose is protected by multi-factor authentication. This is when your system needs two or more pieces of evidence to let you in, such as a password and a PIN sent to your phone. That way, you can rest assured your data is under lock and key.
Make sure the software provider goes above and beyond
Ask your software vendor what security measures are in place to keep your information safe, don't assume they've got you covered.
Along with multi-factor authentication, they should have other comprehensive measures around data loss prevention, high-level encryption for all your data states and methods of transport, and real-time monitoring to keep your data safe.
A good practice to look for is whether the company submits the network to intrusion experts to try to identify security weak spots.
Pick a name you can trust
When you're picking the right software, one that has or is backed by a proven name you know and trust can give you that extra peace of mind. And that often comes with added extras—like a global team of network engineers, security specialists and solution architects. People who have put your software through its paces and know how to support your business.
An industry-standard cloud platform is also more likely to be supported by significant research and development expenditure. So you know that the bugs have been ironed out and it's going to be around for a while.
If you have any questions about keeping your data safe, we’re here to help. Get in touch at hello@wiise.com
