How To Maintain Cyber Security

With 612,000 UK businesses reporting cyber breaches or attacks in the past year, the threat to organisational data is real and growing.

From identity theft to online scams, malware and fraud, the risks are varied and significant. Business owners wondering how to maintain cyber security will need to adopt practices that safeguard sensitive information and support a robust security framework.

We’ll explore some practical steps organisations can take to improve and sustain cyber security efforts below. Whether you’re part of a large corporation or a medium-sized startup, taking the right actions now can prevent costly breaches later, protecting your reputation from harm.

Here are some of the key measures you can take to defend your business against prevalent cyber threats.

1. Assign Clear Responsibilities

43% of cyber attacks target SMEs, while 60% of those that suffer an attack go out of business within six months. This highlights the need for clear roles and responsibilities in your cyber security strategy.

Proactive planning and ensuring all team members know their responsibilities can reduce the risk of a breach, protecting your business from devastating consequences.

A senior manager should take the lead, overseeing the bigger picture and ensuring all risks are accounted for. Specific team members can then focus on tasks like updating or installing security software.

First, figure out what’s most critical to your business. Which systems and data, like financial information or customer lists, would cause the most damage if compromised?

Once you’ve identified these, you can direct your security efforts where they’re needed most. It’s also important to check what security measures are already in place and whether they’re doing the job. If not, it’s time to add extra layers of protection where necessary.

Proactive planning and ensuring all team members know their responsibilities can reduce the risk of a breach, protecting your business from devastating consequences.

2. Keep Software Up To Date

One of the easiest ways to protect your devices is by keeping your software, operating systems, and browsers up to date.

Software companies regularly release updates that include security patches to fix vulnerabilities. Installing these updates as soon as they’re available ensures that your devices are better protected against malware and other cyber threats.

The urgency is clear, as findings from Verizon’s 2025 Data Breach Investigations Report show a 34% increase in attackers exploiting software vulnerabilities to gain initial access compared to the previous year. This means that outdated systems are becoming an even bigger target for cybercriminals.

Set up automatic updates where possible, so you don’t risk overlooking an important security fix. Consistently applying updates helps minimise the risk of malware, ransomware, and other threats that could disrupt regular business operations.

Software updates patch known vulnerabilities, but device hardening takes proactive steps to further secure your devices. This ensures that even if a vulnerability is exposed, your system remains resilient against unauthorised access.

At Net Consulting, our Security Device Hardening service involves techniques like continuous monitoring and MFA. This protects devices on multiple fronts, making it harder for cyber criminals to exploit them.

Call us on +44 (0)29 2097 2020 to find out more.

Installing updates as soon as they’re available ensures that your devices are better protected against malware and other cyber threats.

3. Extend Security Beyond The Office

With many employees working from home or on the go, securing personal devices like laptops, phones, and tablets becomes just as important as protecting office computers, as they are gateways to sensitive business data.

The risks aren’t theoretical. According to Apicorn’s annual Freedom of Information report, over 1,200 government-issued devices were lost or stolen in 2024. HMRC accounted for 804 of those, including 499 mobile phones, and even the House of Commons saw device losses jump from 65 to 100, year on year.

These numbers show how easy it is for data to walk out the door. It’s harder to apply the same level of security to these devices, but you can take steps to reduce the risks.

An effective way of protecting company data is by requiring approval for any personal devices used for work. These devices should have at least basic security measures in place, like antivirus software, password protection, and, where applicable, a firewall.

In the event that an device is lost or stolen, it’s crucial to have the ability to remotely lock or wipe it, preventing unauthorised access to sensitive information.

Most mobile devices, whether using iOS or Android, come with this feature built in. There are also third-party software solutions to perform remote wiping, but these must be set up before the device goes missing.

The risks of remote working also include breaches linked to public WiFi networks. A study by Forbes found that 40% of respondents had their information compromised while using public Wi-Fi, a reminder of how unsecured networks can make it easy for hackers to intercept your data.

If using public Wifi is unavoidable, advise employees to use a VPN to encrypt their data transmission and protect their privacy.

Securing personal devices like laptops, phones, and tablets becomes just as important as protecting office computers, as they are gateways to sensitive business data.

4. Secure Account Logins

Improving passwords and access helps close some common entry points for cyber attacks. Weak passwords are one of the easiest ways for cyber criminals to gain access to your accounts, and the stats prove it.

According to Forbes, a massive 94% of passwords exposed in data breaches online were reused across multiple accounts, while 42% were dangerously short in length, falling between 8-10 characters.

A good password should be long, unpredictable, and include a mix of letters, numbers, and symbols. Reusing the same or similar passwords across different accounts places them at risk if just one gets hacked.

Businesses should create a clear password policy. No password sharing, no writing passwords down, and no sticking with factory defaults. Always update default passwords before handing out devices to staff, and change passwords immediately when someone leaves the company.

Whether it’s a one-time code sent to your phone or a biometric check like a fingerprint, MFA also makes it much harder for hackers to get into your accounts, even if they manage to guess your password.

As it adds another layer of protection beyond passwords, make MFA a standard for any account that involves personal, financial, or sensitive business data.

Don’t forget about third-party apps and integrations. Periodically review what services have access to your accounts and data, and cut off anything you no longer use or trust. Keeping control over these connections is another key way to protect your digital footprint.

How Can We Help

Cyber security is a complex and constantly changing challenge, but you don’t have to face it alone. At Net Consulting, we specialise in providing a range of solutions to help your business stay secure.

From providing processes that detect potential threats promptly to enforcing safeguards that protect your organisation from cyber attacks, we provide the expertise you need to strengthen your defences.