November 30 is National Computer Security Day!

Following #NationalCyberSecurityAwareness Month, we celebrate  #ComputerSecurityDay. Help spread the word on social media using #ComputerSecurityDay to inform others how they can secure their data! Can you believe the first Computer Security Day was in 1988?  This national day was started by the Association for Computer Security to raise awareness concerning computer security issues, including identity theft, fake frauds, ransomware, viruses, and more!

As a business, you should have a dedicated staff member, usually the IT director taking responsibility for the computer security in your office. In a blog post on online safety, I talked about my experiences in my post about taking responsibility for Cybersecurity at work.

Acquire knowledge and keep up-to-date with the latest technologies in the field of Information Security

How do you stay up to date on the latest technologies in information technology?

• I subscribe to email updates so I get a daily digest of new releases in the technology world
• I also like to watch YouTube videos with announcements and demos.

I asked other professionals how they stay up to date on the latest technologies and here's what they said:

Emma Sidney of Digital Copywriting says: "As a digital copywriter, there's no way to stay up to date on all technologies. So I take shortcuts - I ask for recommendations, see what other people love using, and find out if there are any gaps that aren't working. I try all the tools I use before I offer them to clients and I trial many technologies on a regular basis. Now that I have a larger team, we all share recommended reading and ask how we could create something different or better and if this option is a better one for our business."

Jorge Flores, a new addition to our 24By7Security, Inc. team says "Social media, security blogs, security news sites, blogs such as Bruce Schniener or Brian Krebs there's a lot...https://www.schneier.com"

Gain an understanding to better safeguard your most valuable information asset

• What is your most valuable information asset?
• By regularly evaluating your safeguard procedures through risk assessments you are able to adjust your security policies to combat new threats to that most valuable information asset.

Follow this checklist to help secure your computer:

1. Windows Update is enabled.
2. Antivirus software is installed and running.
3. Windows Firewall is turned on.
4. The software on my computer is up to date.
5. Strong passwords are always used.
6. Passwords are not shared or written down.
7. A password is required to access my computer.
8. Unused programs are removed.
9. My home and work wireless networks are secured.
10. My important data is regularly backed up.
11. I use caution when I browse the Internet.
12. I log off the computer when I’m not using it.
13. My web browser does not store or remember my passwords.

Download this checklist today!

Here are some other great resources to help you with your computer security!

How to make your home a haven for online safety

How to keep your business data secure while traveling on a business trip