Don’t be another statistic to face downtime and loss of crucial data. The need for a cybersecurity strategy is more critical than ever. Cyber-attacks are no longer about ‘if’ but ‘when.’

The following are tips to help prevent damaging cybersecurity breaches within your organization.

Use Strong Passwords

Create lengthy, complex passwords. Use special characters such as “#!?.” To help with remembering complex passwords, use words and replace certain letters with numbers/special characters or use a mix of lowercase and uppercase, i.e. “Arm5!sTh3B35t@r0nD” Since cybercriminals are aware of this method, be sure to mix them up and update them often. You can implement password generators to create these unique passwords, and make sure to keep these passwords in a secure place for when you need them in the future.

 Keep Software and Apps Updated

Not updating your software has become the most accessible entry for hackers to gain access to your data. In addition, if your software is not updated, it leaves bugs and holes in the back-end for cybercriminals to use. This includes running Windows Updates regularly and keeping up with Microsoft’s specifications on hardware they support. If you’re unsure if your ARMS software is up-to-date, feel free to reach out to our support team, and we can find out if you are and if not, schedule you for an upgrade.

 Use Multi-Factor Authentication

Using passwords alone to protect your data is no longer enough. Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) helps to further protect accounts by requiring a user to verify who they are with at least two factors of the following:

• KNOW – Passwords
• HAVE – Mobile Device
• ARE – Fingerprint, retinal pattern, voice, face, etc.

Consider using ARMS Single Sign-On (SSO).   With ARMS SSO, users need only to enter one set of credentials to access ARMS web apps in the cloud and behind the firewall using desktops, smartphones, and tablets.

 Backup

 Cyber-attacks can lead to severe network downtime. Upgrading the way your data is stored and backed up is a great way to protect your data in a network outage, but it doesn’t protect your network from cyber threats. It will, however, be essential if a cyber-attack does happen. Therefore, it is important to regularly keep some offline or cloud backups of the SQL database and media folder that are not on the ARMS server itself to ensure that you would not lose all of your data if something does happen to that server.

 Consider moving to ARMS Cloud SaaS

As a Managed Service Provider, we often help our clients move to the ARMS cloud-based solution. We, as well as the data security industry in general, tend to recommend cloud-based solutions.  Why is ARMS Cloud SaaS better than on-premises?

• The service is unmatched at records management. ARMS utilizes Microsoft Azure’s cloud servers to store unlimited volumes of data, so security firms can access what they need when they need it. This unlimited storage capacity allows you to remain in compliance with regulations that require long-term storage of critical evidence. As a result, your officers can go about their business knowing that the information they need to do their job is available at their fingertips whenever they need it, whether that’s in five days or five years.
• A disaster that destroys safety records and files compounds the losses suffered by both the investigators and victims of their investigating crimes. In addition, backup and recovery programming is at risk when they are located at the same location as the primary servers. With ARMS SaaS and our partnership with Microsoft, we will safely store your critical backups and live data on several sites throughout the United States, ensuring you have access to your data when you need it.
• ARMS makes maintaining your data and its security our primary function.  Our data security professionals manage all aspects of the software, including backups, upgrades, threat scans, and support services. As a result, your staff can focus on their work, not on data management.