Whether your IT or simply your responsibilities have grown, these best practices will help ensure your company stays secure, compliant and ahead of evolving trends.

3 Min Read
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As the IT landscape evolves, so does the IT workforce. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 4.3 million employees now work from home at least half of the time, and IT teams still must support those employees and ensure their access points are secure. Cyber-threats are also on the rise, states Security Magazine, with 61% of SMBs experiencing a cyber attack in the last year, of which over half could have been prevented by deploying a patch that’s been available for over a decade.

The evolution of the IT landscape means IT teams are either being asked to do more with less resources, or they’re managing exponential growth as more and more companies are starting to prioritize cyber security.  Whether your IT team has grown or simply your responsibilities have grown, it’s crucial to ensure your IT efforts are staying ahead of threats and implementing industry-standard best practices.

Michael Natale, VP of IT at LogMeIn, has over 18 years of experience in the information technology sector, and he shared his top 10 tips for scaling your IT infrastructure. During his 10-plus years at LogMeIn, Mike’s IT team has grown more than 10-fold, so he has significant experience tackling both exponential company growth and the need to do more with less—a shift in resources, priorities, strategies and time.

In addition to providing a high-level overview of his top 10 tips, below, Mike joined us for a live webinar, where he covered his top 10 tips in greater detail. The webinar is available to view on-demand here.

Tip #1 – Secure your Endpoints

  • Use whole disc encryption.

  • Install security measures.

  • Limit permissions and administrator rights to key stakeholders only.

Tip #2 – Plan for Mobile

  • Devices should not be jail broken or rooted.

  • Make sure there’s a security pin or gesture for the devices.

  • Ensure there’s encryption on the devices.

Tip #3 – Implement Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)

  • Protect your username and password so if it’s compromised you have another layer of protection in place.

  • Enforce on all applications.

TIP #4 – Patch your Systems

  • Keep in mind that tackling security vulnerabilities is like shoveling rain–it’s a constant battle.

  • To stay secure, deploy available patches on a monthly basis at a minimum.

  • When zero-day attacks occur, respond with all hands on deck and patch immediately.

TIP #5 – Manage and Protect Company Passwords

  • There are so many logins to stay on top of, even if you use SSO.

  • Deploy a password manager for your company.

  • Mandate that your employees set up an account with the password manager to enhance security.

TIP #6 – Use Firewalls

  • Install network firewalls.

  • Have company laptops enable running a host firewall to add another layer of protection for peer-to-peer attacks.

  • Set up a self-healing alert paired with an automated task manager to self-destruct stolen computers.

TIP #7 – Leverage the Cloud

  • No one is building infrastructure if they can help it.

  • Leverage the power of the cloud to handle uptime, deploying services and backup without needing additional staff on hand.

TIP #8 – Plan for the Worst

  • No one wants to get breached, but over half of SMBs do. When it happens, no one knows what to do first or where to focus.

  • Build a contingency plan

TIP #9 – Don’t Trust Humans

  • Your employees are both your greatest asset and weakest link.

  • Ensure they have the training, resources and support to keep themselves and the company protected.

TIP #10 – Eliminate, Automate, Leverage

  • Focus on operational excellence.

  • Every six months or so, do a deep dive into what type of helpdesk tickets are submitted. Then determine the trends and automate where you can.

  • Leverage the feedback you receive to eliminate processes or services entirely, update them or automate where possible.

Oksana Balytsky is a Senior Product Marketing Manager at LogMeIn. With over 10 years of experience in consulting and tech, her work focuses on supporting IT solutions, specifically remote monitoring and management software for internal IT and MSPs. She holds a Bachelors in Business Administration from George Washington University, and she’s passionate about the evolving cyber-security space.

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This guest blog is part of a Channel Futures sponsorship.

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