When businesses want to improve cybersecurity, the conversation often starts with what they should buy. A new security platform. Better monitoring. Another piece of software. Sometimes new technology is necessary. But before you add another tool, ask a more basic question: Are you fully using the security protections you already have?
It's also worth asking whether your existing cybersecurity tools are actually working together as part of a clear security strategy.
Some of the most useful cybersecurity improvements don't require another product. They require tightening up settings, accounts, and processes that may already exist inside your business.
Here are six places to start.
#1 Turn on multi-factor authentication
Passwords aren't enough on their own. If an attacker obtains an employee's password, multi-factor authentication (MFA) adds another verification step before that person can access the account.
Start with the systems that could create the most damage if compromised, including:
- Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace
- Banking and payroll systems
- Cloud storage
- VPN access
- Critical business applications
Don't stop at simply asking whether your company "uses MFA." Ask whether it's enabled for everyone and everywhere it should be. A security control that's turned on for half the company doesn't protect the other half.
#2 Clean up accounts nobody uses anymore
Businesses change constantly. Employees leave. Contractors finish projects. Vendors change. Someone creates an account for a temporary need, and nobody thinks about it again.
Those accounts can quietly remain active. Unnecessary accounts and excessive permissions can also increase cybersecurity risk from inside the business, even when nobody intends to cause harm.
Make account cleanup part of your regular process. Review who has access and ask:
- Does this person still work with us?
- Does this vendor still need access?
- Is this account still being used?
- Does this person still need the permissions they have?
This is especially important when someone leaves the company. Removing access shouldn't depend on someone remembering to send an email to IT three days later. It should be part of a defined offboarding process.
#3 Stop making everyone an administrator
Administrator access is convenient. That's also what makes it risky. An administrator account can make significant changes to a system, including installing software and changing security settings. Most employees don't need that level of access to do their jobs.
Review who currently has administrator privileges and why. If the answer is essentially, "We've always had it set up that way," that's a reason to take another look.
Employees should generally have the access required to perform their responsibilities without automatically receiving control over everything else. The same principle applies beyond administrator accounts: access should follow the job, not convenience.
#4 Make sure updates actually happen
We've all clicked "remind me later." The problem is that software updates frequently include fixes for known security weaknesses. Delaying those updates can leave vulnerabilities open longer than necessary.
Check whether automatic updates are enabled where appropriate across:
- Computers
- Phones and tablets
- Web browsers
- Productivity software
- Security software
- Critical business applications
But don't treat "automatic updates enabled" as the end of the conversation. Someone still needs visibility into whether devices are actually receiving those updates successfully. A setting isn't the same thing as verification.
#5 Make strong passwords easier for employees
Telling employees to create a unique, complex password for every business account sounds reasonable. Remembering all of them isn't. That's one reason password reuse happens.
A password manager can help employees generate and securely store stronger, unique credentials without relying on memory, spreadsheets, sticky notes, or slightly different versions of the same password.
The goal isn't simply to create more complicated password rules. It's to make the secure behavior easier than the insecure workaround. Combine good password practices with MFA, and you're building layers rather than depending entirely on one credential.
#6 Prove that your backups can actually restore data
You may already have backups. That's not quite the same as knowing you can recover.
A dashboard might show that a backup completed successfully, but the question that matters during an outage is: Can we restore what we need, and how long will it take?
Ask:
- When did the last backup complete?
- What exactly is being backed up?
- When was the last restore tested?
- Did the restore work?
- How long did it take?
You don't want your first real test of the recovery process to happen while employees are waiting to get back to work. Backups become much more valuable when you've verified that recovery actually works. Skipping backup testing can disrupt your business in several ways when you need a real recovery.
Don't confuse "free" with "automatic"
None of these improvements start with shopping for another cybersecurity product.
But that doesn't mean they happen on their own.
Someone still needs to enable MFA correctly. Accounts need to be reviewed. Permissions need to change when roles change. Updates need oversight. Password practices need to be implemented. Backups need to be tested.
That's the larger lesson.
Good cybersecurity isn't only about what you buy. It's also about how consistently you manage what you already have.
Before you buy something else, check what you already have
Take 15 minutes with your leadership or IT team and ask six questions:
- Is MFA enabled everywhere it should be?
- Do we have old or unnecessary accounts?
- Who has administrator access, and do they need it?
- Are our systems actually receiving security updates?
- Are employees using secure, unique passwords?
- When did we last successfully restore something from backup?
You may find opportunities to improve your cybersecurity without adding another subscription to the budget.
Ferrari Networks helps businesses across Buffalo and Western New York understand where cybersecurity gaps exist and make better use of the technology and security controls already in place.
If you're not sure where to start, schedule a 10-minute discovery call. We'll help you identify practical improvements and determine which issues deserve attention first.
