Microsoft shares top tips for online and computer safety

By Elly Yates-Roberts on 11 February 2020

Safer Internet Day provides an annual opportunity for organisations all over the world to reflect on the measures they have in place to ensure employees stay safe against cybersecurity dangers. In a Microsoft news story, Anthony Cook, regional vice president for Microsoft Asia, shared his top tips and best practices:

1. Practice good security hygiene
According to Cook, organisations can practice good security hygiene by keeping machines updated, enabling e-mail and browser protections, applying the security configurations recommended by vendors and avoiding unfamiliar software or websites. He also advises that businesses create legitimate copies of everything on their machines, not just the most frequently used programs.

2. Implement more access controls
Companies can do this by using ‘zero trust’ or ‘least privilege’ models. If someone were to hack into the network, these measures would ensure they would only be able to reach a subset of it.

3. Keep back-ups
The cloud is making it much easier for firms to keep back-ups. Microsoft recommends the ‘3-2-1 rule’: keep three copies of your data on two different storage types, with at least one of these offsite.

4. Remain vigilant
Cook advises that all employees should be constantly aware of suspicious situations, and if they encounter them, they should report them to the IT department immediately. This could include a sudden drop in processing speed or noticing strange web links and images.

“While Safer Internet Day is only once a year, we at Microsoft encourage everyone to make every day online safer,” said Cook. “By becoming more aware of what kind of threats are out there, and how to respond, we can all protect ourselves, our organisations and our communities against emerging cyberthreats. When we strengthen our tools and knowledge, we create a safer, more trustworthy and more fulfilling online experience for everyone.”