Three Important Security Measures to Protect Company Servers

A common concern amongst business owners is the security of company data. Most of this information and data is stored on servers; this means that they pose a particular area of weakness if proper security measures are not taken.

Unfortunately, a lot of people don’t possess the necessary skill set or understanding to ensure that data is properly protected. They rely solely on a hope that security will not be breached, and are then surprised when it is.

If you’re one of them, then it’s time to take action. Here are three simple security measures to keep your data to yourself…

#1: Use SSH Keys

One of the simplest and most effective ways to protect the information stored on servers is to utilise SSH keys. SSH keys take the form of something known as cryptographic keys. Essentially, these act as an alternative to password-based logins, offering a greater degree of security than their counterpart. There are two parts to them: a public key, and a private key. Everyone knows the former, whilst the latter is kept secret and secure to prevent breaches. Easy to install, this method is safe, effective, and a great option for most businesses.

#2: Install Firewalls

A second way to protect private data is by installing firewalls. Firewalls work by controlling the services that are exposed to a network. They do this by blocking or restricting access to all ports except those intended for public use. This significantly decreases the attack surface of a server, massively reducing the number of components that are vulnerable to exploitation. Indeed, properly configured, they can make internal services completely inaccessible to the outside world, thus ensuring that confidential information cannot be breached.

#3: Audit Your Services

Firewalls and SSH keys are both forms of technology that can improve your security, but a large part of protecting important data lies in analysing your systems. You need to fully understand your attack surfaces before you can seek to protect them, and this is where such a process comes in handy. Many operating systems are configured to start certain processes automatically, yet each of these represents an expanded attack surface for malicious users. Thus, the more services you have running, the greater the chances of a breach occurring. By fully understanding the breadth and function of these, you can create solutions specifically tailored to combating them, and better protect your business from being breached.

Protect your confidential company data today with these three top tips.