12 Best Practices to Secure Your IT Infrastructure in 2024

What is IT Infrastructure Security?

IT infrastructure security encompasses the strategies and measures to safeguard your business data, mitigating the risks associated with cyber threats and data breaches. It extends its protective umbrella over various aspects, from corporate hardware and software to user devices and cloud resources.

Maintaining a trustworthy and fortified IT infrastructure is pivotal in averting potential challenges. These include the financial and operational fallout from data breaches, the disruptive impact of malicious malware on your operations and data integrity, costly system failures leading to downtime, financial setbacks resulting from data theft, ransom payouts, and recovery expenses, as well as penalties incurred for non-compliance with stringent data protection regulations.

To protect your IT infrastructure, here are the 12 best IT security tips

1. Invest in User Education for IT Security

Your employees, while well-intentioned, may not have cybersecurity at the forefront of their minds. Investing in comprehensive IT security education is crucial. Provide a curriculum with practical examples and follow up with testing to ensure that IT security concepts are understood and retained.

2. Understand IT Security Threats

IT professionals should be well-versed in network and system administration but must also comprehend the various IT security threats that loom on the internet. Keep abreast of common threats such as phishing, malvertising, and browser injections by following IT security experts and organizations like OWASP.

3. Practice Good User Account Management

Implementing sound user account management practices, like two-factor authentication and regular password updates, might seem bothersome to users but is essential for IT security. Rotating passwords, requiring VPN access for external connections, and conducting compliance audits can help contain account compromises.

4. Keep Your IT Software Updated

Outdated software is a prime target for cyber attackers. Establish a routine for updating your IT software to remain current and less susceptible to exploitation.

5. Maintain Secure Backups

While backups won’t prevent IT security attacks, they can minimize the impact of such incidents. Keep backups separate from your primary network to ensure they remain uncompromised in case of a network breach.

6. Segment Your IT Network

Not all parts of your IT network are equally critical. Consider segmenting your network to restrict unnecessary interactions. For instance, create a ‘guest’ network for external connections, separating them from your core network. Focus your cybersecurity measures on the most critical components of your IT infrastructure.

7. Establish an IT BYOD Policy

In today’s world of personal devices, personal smartphones and tablets are commonplace. However, these devices pose potential threats to your network if not appropriately managed. Develop and enforce policies regarding how these devices can interact with your IT infrastructure, including access limitations, security certificate requirements, or even prohibitions.

8. Retire Old IT Devices & Services

As your organization evolves, older IT devices and services can become obsolete. Retire and remove them from your network to streamline management and reduce potential IT security vulnerabilities.

9. Test Your IT Security and IT Infrastructure

Keep your user education plan up to date as new threats emerge. Continuously test its effectiveness, ensuring that employees follow incident reporting procedures and that IT responds promptly to concerns. Consider designating a cyber hygiene trainer responsible for overseeing this crucial aspect of your IT operation.

10. Encrypt Critical IT Information

Encrypting critical data in your IT infrastructure can significantly reduce the risk of data loss in a breach. Encryption renders the content inaccessible without the appropriate keys. Prioritize encrypting your most sensitive and confidential IT information.

11. Secure Cyber-Insurance for Your IT Infrastructure

It’s impossible to eliminate 100% of cyber risk. Standard insurance policies often don’t cover data loss due to a breach. Cyber insurance is essential in protecting your organization from potential third-party liabilities and costly lawsuits in the event of an IT security incident.

12. Monitor Your IT Network(s)

Maintain constant awareness of the devices on your network. Understand how they interact with your IT infrastructure and promptly identify abnormal behavior. Your Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) system plays a pivotal role in monitoring. Address unusual activities decisively and swiftly to bolster your IT security.