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The 10-Point Cybersecurity Checklist

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cybersecurity checklist

Your security program encompasses all the people processes and technology that can be used to help you detect and mitigate threats. All these systems and elements can make it hard to know where to start when it comes to cybersecurity. We created this 10-point checklist to help you strengthen all forms of your business’s cybersecurity program.  

Identify Your Biggest Cybersecurity Risks

 Do you know the biggest risks to your business? Understanding potential security threats is a key step to gaining security confidence. Only by knowing your vulnerabilities can you establish a clear action plan. 

Establish a Security Strategy  

Take the time to develop a thorough cybersecurity strategy so your company can prevent cyber threats, detect vulnerabilities, and mitigate damage from a data breach. Ensuring your company’s cybersecurity is no easy feat—consult industry experts to make the most informed business-risk decisions. 

Protect Your Network and Devices  

To prevent cyber-attacks, your company devices and network must remain secure. Install a firewall and make sure your next-generation endpoint protection solution is up to date. 

Update Your Software  

It’s easy to ignore notifications for new updates since we seem to get them so often, but outdated software could pose a huge risk to your company. Don’t make it easier for cybercriminals to penetrate your system and attack. Automating software patches is a key aspect of cybersecurity.  

Create a Cybersecurity Policy

With a cybersecurity policy in place, your employees will be well equipped to handle all issues relating to information security. This policy should include regulations on internet usage, remote access, and your bring-your-own-device (BYOD) program. Regularly update your policies as needed and keep your team informed.

Establish Confidentiality Agreements  

Your contractors, suppliers, vendors, and partners should all be clear on your security and privacy policies. To protect your company from data breach liability, make sure anyone who has access to private information signs a confidentiality agreement. 

Train Your Employees

The importance of security education should not be underestimated. Communicating cybersecurity policies to employees is not enough—they should also be taught current cyber-attack methods and ways to prevent them. Make cybersecurity training part of the onboarding process and create a risk-aware company culture. 

Establish a Breach Recovery Plan

Prepare for the inevitable. Your company should have a recovery plan ready in the event of a data breach. This plan will make the threat of a security breach less overwhelming and will help you act quickly. Determine how to communicate the breach and test out your plan to ensure it remains relevant. 

Create a Strong Authentication Policy  

Cyber attackers love weak passwords. Ensure your employees’ passwords are at least eight characters and include a combination of upper- and lower-case letters, numbers, and special characters. Don’t save passwords in your browser or include personal information like birthdays or phone numbers that hackers can easily figure out. Do not reuse passwords, regularly change your password. 

Perform Regular Security Assessments

Cybercriminals are constantly coming up with new attack methods. By remaining aware of your vulnerabilities, you can target specific areas for improvement and ensure the highest return on investment. With a thorough and regular assessment strategy, you’ll stay ahead of the evolving threat landscape.

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Ken Perkins

Biography coming soon.

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Megan Miller

Megan Miller’s energy and passion for learning flow into all aspects of her work. As the Growth Manager, North America, she brings a background in sciences which she has transitioned to the tech sector in her role at Difenda.

With a Bachelors of Science in Geology, Megan is a lifelong learner who is voracious about learning anything she can get her hands on about cybersecurity. Her positive energy has built a sales strategy with a focus on expanding in the United States while nurturing the Canadian presence. She is responsible for recruiting and training the sales team. Together with the company’s leadership, she creates the sales process and the company’s product strategy in order to better serve the customer base. This ensures that our customers have a highly trained and highly motivated team to help them every step of the way, Megan has completed Microsoft SC-900 training and working towards mastering Microsoft.

Whether at work or play, Megan is fully committed. She took her love of hockey all the way to the semi-professional level as a competitive hockey player. Megan loves all things sports including water skiing, scuba diving, cycling, and snowboarding. She also enjoys time with family and reading about alternative energy, innovation, and cybersecurity.

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Natasha Phanor

As the Microsoft Partner Manager at Difenda, Natasha Phanor is responsible for driving growth within our Microsoft Partnership. With six years in the industry, she offers a fresh, energetic approach, and the ability to focus on our customer’s needs throughout the entire process. Natasha has the innate ability to foresee customer needs and solve problems before they arise, which creates a smooth road for each customer she encounters.

As the recipient of the Outstanding Services Partner of the Year Award in 2018, it is clear that Natasha responds quickly to customer needs, creates a platform for understanding a customer’s business requirements, and walks them through the process to ensure their complete satisfaction.

In her spare time, Natasha is as energetic and passionate as she is on the job. A self-proclaimed foodie-extraordinaire, she enjoys dinner parties, traveling, downhill skiing, hiking, biking, and reading. Natasha has a Bachelor of Fine Arts, specializing in Dance, from Ryerson University.

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Lisa Templeton

Lisa Templeton is the perfect combination of human empathy and technological prowess. In her role as People Services Manager, she takes care of our team members to support them in their daily work, as well as on their personal life paths. Happy employees make for happy customers, and Lisa excels in giving our employees the tools they need for success in order to become the best possible versions of themselves. Along with employee formation, she shines in the service delivery support domain to continuously improve the process. Her 24 years of experience in IT Operations and Service Management help her create quality and efficiency at Difenda.

Having attended the Information Systems Management certificate program at Ryerson University, and with various other certifications to her credit, Lisa is perceptive and innovative when it comes to information technology, but also sensitive to the needs of her human constituents. Responsible for achieving the first privately owned company HDI Support Center certification in Canada, she has also designed and implemented Service Management excellence programs and 24×7 IT Operations departments for multiple IT organizations, and has created corporate rewards and recognition programs to keep her employees engaged and motivated.

On the personal side, Lisa passionately supports the cause of breast cancer research, having lost her mother to the disease. She reads voraciously in her spare time, and enjoys the art of home renovation. The summer months also bring time on her boat and exploring new hiking trails.

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Miranda McCurdy

Miranda McCurdy uses her myriad super powers in all aspects of her job and personal life. As the Marketing Director at Difenda, Miranda McCurdy brings over a decade of experience to the table, which includes expertise in all facets of operations, brand management, and content marketing, as well as a multitude of successful strategies for the ever-expanding digital world. She is an expert at simplifying the message the company is trying to send, filling in gaps in the information, and strengthening the content in order to create compelling narratives that strengthen the brand and developing programs that bring teams together.

With several Addy Awards issued by the American Advertising Federation Cleveland to her credit, and her never say die attitude, Miranda understands both the broader picture and the minute details that are needed to successfully market a product. With her abilities to harness both the talent needed to spread the message, as well as to create the message itself, she is an integral cog in the company’s ability to communicate with customers and other stakeholders.

When she is not building a brand, she shares her ability to fill the gaps in her community by volunteering with Habitat for Humanity, the Special Olympics, and the Charleston Food Bank. In her spare time, Miranda spends time with her family, enjoys fitness and health, paddle boarding, reading, and arts and crafts.

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Juliana Zaremba

Connections are the name of the game for Juliana Zaremba. As Strategic Partnerships Director, she is responsible for Difenda’s channel partnerships and the development and ownership of the channel partner program. She is also responsible for the global Microsoft Partnership, including the creation of strategic plans with MSFT contacts that will facilitate the continued growth of the business and establish certification and training protocols in all security technologies. Her role is multifaceted, as she acquires partners, manages relationships with them, and develops strategies that will provide cutting edge security solutions to our customer base. Another integral aspect of her job is to facilitate growth.

With a Bachelor’s in Math from the University of Waterloo and 14 years of experience from her previous roles at Herjavec Group and CDW, her cutting edge focus and ability to develop long-lasting relationships and strategies provides world class security solutions to our customer base.

Juliana thrives on connections outside of work as well. She is a philanthropist and contributor with Women4Change based in Hamilton. This group of local women is passionate about supporting local causes, and she focuses her efforts around Women in STEM. She is also a member of Club Italia in Niagara Falls and supports their youth events throughout the year.

When not managing the Microsoft Global partnership, Juliana enjoys reading, often reading several books at once. Juliana enjoys exploring the Niagara Escarpment with her family, as well as sharing meals and experiences with her extended family. Juliana’s competitive nature has her always trying new things, like Whoop band challenges and Peloton.

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Jeffry Jacob

Biography Coming Soon

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