Authorities have warned businesses to strengthen their internal controls in response to the increasing cases of physical security breaches. While large companies have invested a lot of money to secure their IT networks, cybercrime gangs have turned their attention to low-tech methods. According to estimates, cybercriminals generate around £1.2 trillion yearly from cyber acts, which will likely increase over the coming years.

In this article, we'll share tips on how to improve your cyber security compliance. These tips will not only protect you from fines, litigation or other consequences of being unable to comply with security regulations but will also secure your company from financial and reputation damage.

1. Create a Security Team

Whether running a small or medium-sized business, you should consider building a cybersecurity team to assess and monitor cybersecurity. As organisations transition critical business operations to the cloud, cybersecurity will not remain in isolation. Therefore, you must establish an interdepartmental workflow and make it known across all aspects of the business, especially IT departments.

When building your security time, focus on the candidate's skills. In cyber security, those who can think outside the box and have unique skill sets are the most valuable. By focusing on core cyber security skills instead of credentials, you can avoid unnecessary costs while establishing a well-rounded and highly skilled cyber security team. Seeking outside talent is often the norm when building a cybersecurity team. However, it may be a good idea to look at your existing team and see if you can upskill and train them. Additionally, your team should set POAM. But what is a POAM? It's a system of plans, actions and milestones that needs to be done in order to reach a certain level of security.

Although there are core skills that your cyber security team should possess, consider building a team with diverse skill sets to complement one another. It will not only enrich the potential of your cyber operation but will also strengthen your fight against the increasing range of cyber threats.

2. Test your Security

Installing antivirus on every computer or device is not enough to protect your company from cybersecurity threats. You must consider hiring a third-party organisation that can test your security. These professionals will conduct a security audit to identify weaknesses you may not be aware of.

Small organisations don't need to hire professionals to conduct security tests. You can perform the test yourself. In fact, if you walk around your office and check each of your employees' desks, there's a good chance you will spot a few security beaches if you look hard enough. The most common of these is spotting passwords written on sticky notes. When testing your cybersecurity test, try to focus the testing on the effectiveness of a specific cybersecurity system, such as a firewall, antivirus solution, or a response to certain attacks. Focusing on an area allows you to benchmark performance and improve the configuration of your technologies to detect and block specific threats.

Cybercriminals are becoming more advanced daily, and there's no single solution to secure your business. However, knowing the effectiveness of your cyber security systems is essential in minimising cybersecurity risks. It allows you to detect and swiftly respond to attacks.

3. Complete a Compliance Training Course

One of the best ways to improve cybersecurity compliance is to complete a compliance training course, this will help keep you in the know! Undergoing compliance training courses, in particular security awareness programs, will help you to stay updated on the latest regulations on cyber security, which secures your system and prepare you for the latest cyber threats. Security awareness training programs are vital for today's businesses, given the increasing threats to cyber security. They are also a must-have for organisations to follow as per government regulations.

Training programs on cybersecurity awareness introduce participants to the threats and vulnerabilities in the cyber world. These programs offer participants knowledge about cyber intrusion methods and how to protect their systems and prevent cyber-attacks. Participants will learn about common cyber threats, operation methods, countermeasures, etc. The compliance training will also discuss basic steps to maintain security, confidentiality, and customer privacy.

An effective compliance training program helps organisations to follow rules and regulations, operate effectively, and minimise liability risks. The program protects your organisation from legal, regulatory, and corporate violations that could lead to heavy fines and civil lawsuits.

4. Train the Whole Team

Government agencies require companies to develop and implement a complete security training and awareness training program to ensure that employees understand their responsibilities of keeping their systems safe and secure. While you can implement various methods to protect your business through cybersecurity, the truth is that most cyberattacks target you where you are most vulnerable - your staff. It is for this reason that training employees in cybersecurity are important.

New forms of cyber-attacks are coming out day by day. Your approach to protecting your organisation against these attacks should not only be limited to annual training. If you only train your employees about cyber security once a year, you will be highly vulnerable to security breaches. You must commit to various training approaches to keep your team updated with the latest cybersecurity and implement a training structure that can work for everyone.

5. Use Good Passwords

Passwords are your first defence against unauthorised access to a computer and personal information. The stronger your password, the more protection you will have against hackers and malicious software. Therefore, organisations should recognise the importance of maintaining strong passwords for all accounts.

Avoid using a similar password for different accounts, as this will only put you at high risk of hacking. Hackers can easily crack your passwords using brute force. When this happens, several of your accounts could be compromised if you use similar passwords for everything.

Make it difficult for hackers to guess your password by making your password longer and including different characters. Avoid using passwords with words that are easy to read. If possible, use a password manager that will help you remember unique passwords. Do not use consecutive keyboard combinations because these are the most commonly used passwords. Always log off or sign out after using the computer, and ensure no one sees you when typing in your password to log in.