Nowadays, every business, no matter big or small, use the power of technology and software to perform various business functions. Business software is the set of programs that assist in increasing and measuring the productivity of any business and also in executing several business operations correctly. Henceforth, they’re collectively referred to as Business software.
Some business software is developed to meet specific business necessities and is therefore not flexible enough for different business environments. At the same time, there also exists universally accepted software that can be used across the spectrum of businesses in various industries. It doesn’t matter what kind of software you use; you must pay special attention to your B2B software security.
All business software plays around with business data. Some of that data may also be confidential. Therefore, any business must maintain data privacy and safety. Data leaked or corrupted either through accidental damage or through cyberattacks may lead to fraud, identity theft, and other reputational loss. And it doesn’t apply to businesses of any particular size or scale – both huge corporations as well as small scale industries, have been hit by cyberattacks many times.
Thus, businesses of any scale and size, irrespective of several assets and resources, should know how to play smart in B2B software security. How to implement and ensure the safety of their business software. This whole article will cover the ways to guarantee the security of business software. Let’s get started.
Tactics to ensure the security of business software
#1. AI-powered cybersecurity system
Artificial Intelligence is the future of many things, including cybersecurity. As per a Forbes study, 61% of the companies say they cannot identify breach attempts today without using AI technologies. Today, the three-top applications of AI are in cyber defence, malware prevention, and advanced threat detection and prevention. According to the Cylance study, 75% of cyber defence could be achieved with the help of artificial intelligence tools. AI-powered security systems enable any company to identify the dangerous threats in advance, therefore boosting the recognition and response times. Henceforth, each company is looking forward to increasing the budget for AI in cybersecurity.
#2. Updated system, applications, and software
An outdated system is more vulnerable to malicious attacks. With the advancement of technologies, even malware is getting sophisticated. Hence, it is essential to keep all the systems, applications and other dependent software updated.
Attachments area
To combat cyber threats, vendors of business software keep pushing regular security patches. It is also observed that some platforms like Microsoft leverage the sophisticated automated patch management system. This tool uninterruptedly monitors the patches and notifies the admins as soon as any missed patch is identified. As soon as you’re notified of any such patches or updates, you should install them to keep the latest, up to date business software.
#3. Continuous email monitoring
An email is an inevitable tool in business that allows clients, employees, teams to communicate efficiently. However, it is also used by cybercriminals to send spam emails with malicious links to compromise your systems. A click on any such link can bring disaster to your business. Verizon’s 2018 Data Breach Investigation Report shows that 92.4% of suspicious malware is carried through email. Thankfully, email security systems exist that allow continuous monitoring of emails to protect against such attacks. You should make use of such systems to monitor your email carefully and continuously.
#4. Application of firewall
In any computer network or system, the firewall is the first line of defence against cyberattacks. It behaves like a filter by scanning all the data packets received from external sources. While doing this, it labels the suspicious packets as a security risk and blocks them while allowing the safe data packets to pass. Thus, a firewall prohibits any malicious code from entering the network and reaching your computer.
Firewalls can be in the form of both hardware and software. In any complex system, hardware in the form of routers is chosen to manage the traffic moving between the broadband and user devices. A software firewall, on the other hand, works as a program on your computer. Cyber attacks come in multiple forms, so you must use a combination of both hardware as well as software firewall to improve your B2B software security.
#5. Files and folder encryption
Finally, it would help if you prepared for the worst-case scenario. If an attacker manages to successfully enter your systems, breaking through all the safeguards mentioned above, he can access your critical data. But you can still protect your data through encryption. In case you don’t know, encryption encodes any sensitive data into unreadable ciphertext by applying some mathematical calculations and algorithms.
The ciphered text can only be decoded with the help of a private key produced by the encryption algorithm which you can keep securely. This mechanism helps protect the data from unauthorized access. It would help if you used it to cover all your data generated by various business software programs.
Moreover, if you transfer that data online through any of your websites, you should also secure its transfer to and from your website by installing an SSL certificate. That is because hackers may try to steal it while it’s being uploaded to your site or being downloaded from it. You can purchase a SSL certificate.
Final thoughts
All the above-mentioned security mechanisms are not 100% failsafe. However, if appropriately implemented and combined with proper employee education, they can significantly improve your B2B software security . Keep in mind that perfect cybersecurity is achieved when every individual is vigilant. A robust security system is only useful when there is zero human error.
Thus, it is essential to educate people about modes of cyber-attacks. The education can involve what malware and other security threats are, how they work and how they can be avoided. You should teach everyone involved in business to use your business software with proper diligence and precautions, and also to inform the concerned authority if they see any questionable activity or red flags.
