Triple Play Three cybersecurity tips

Triple Play is a weekly NJBIZ feature that asks top executives in New Jersey to talk about three things related to their industry.

Michelle Schaap is a member of Chiesa Shahinian & Giantomasi PC in West Orange.

We asked Michelle for three things your business should be doing related to cybersecurity:

Acknowledge that your company is a target:  Whatever your business, chances are you have information that hackers would love to access, whether it relates to your own business, your employees or your clients. With information that includes names, addresses, Social Security numbers or confidential business intelligence, computers are a treasure trove for ‘bad actors.’ All sensitive information should be protected to ensure that it is not misused, stolen or destroyed.

Protect your information from attack:  Once a business identifies the information that needs to be protected, implement procedures to safeguard it. Best practices include restricting the use of thumb drives, mandating robust password protocols, adopting policies for employees’ use of personal devices and training personnel on security ‘mindfulness.’ 

Prepare for the inevitable: The day you discover your systems have been compromised is not the day to develop a response plan. A robust plan should identify the response team members, including the designated business representative, forensic experts, counsel and others. The plan should anticipate to whom, including law enforcement officials, and when notice may need to be given. Additional key components include a verified disaster recovery site and cyber insurance to fund costs associated with responding to an attack.