What Security Practice is Essential for Any It Department?
In today's digital landscape, IT security is paramount for organizations of all sizes. This article delves into the essential security practices that every IT department should implement, drawing insights from industry experts. Discover the critical steps to safeguard your organization's data and systems against evolving cyber threats.
- Prioritize Security Awareness Training
- Implement End-to-End Data Encryption
- Keep Software Updated and Patched
- Enforce Least Privilege Access Control
- Mandate Multi-Factor Authentication Across Systems
- Limit Permissions to Reduce Security Risks
- Educate Employees on Phishing Threats
- Maintain and Test Regular Data Backups
- Rigorously Manage Software Patch Updates
- Enable MFA to Prevent Account Compromises
- Apply Least Privilege for Data Protection
- Conduct Security Onboarding for New Staff
- Train Employees to Recognize Online Threats
- Empower Users with Threat Recognition Skills
Prioritize Security Awareness Training
The single most important security practice an IT professional can implement is security awareness training. You are much easier to hack than any server or network, which is why attackers have become so adept at hacking humans. An attacker can send out thousands of phishing emails, and they only need one set of credentials to establish a foothold in your network. Once the attacker has gained access to your network, they can begin to laterally explore other workstations and servers, then find other victims to attack to make their way to your data.
If you educate your users properly and frequently, they will become much more aware when they see a phishing email and know to report it, so that any future similar emails can be blocked by the spam filter. We have a natural human tendency to help and be accommodating, which is exactly what the attackers rely on. Security awareness training should be conducted at least monthly. Send out a bulletin on how to spot a phishing email, or if you've received one, mark it up and show your users why this email is spam.
Your employees are your first line of defense, so educate them well and they will be like an army helping to protect your network.
Implement End-to-End Data Encryption
If there's one security practice I believe every IT department should treat as gospel, it's end-to-end data encryption--both at rest and in transit. We're no longer in an era where data just sits quietly on a server. It's dynamic now, constantly being queried by AI systems, passed between endpoints, pulled through APIs, and stored in the cloud.
Encryption at rest means that even if someone breaks into a storage system, all they'll see is encrypted gibberish. Encryption in transit ensures that even if data is intercepted while moving, it remains unreadable and useless. I think of it like this: you lock your valuables in a vault, and then you transport that vault in an armored truck with a police escort. You need both.
Without encryption, you're not just leaving the doors open--you're practically inviting bad actors in for a guided tour. In a world where data is both the fuel and currency of AI, protecting it isn't optional. It's foundational.
Keep Software Updated and Patched
One essential practice every IT department should prioritize is keeping all software updated--especially operating systems, applications, and antivirus tools. I've seen firsthand how quickly outdated software becomes an open door for attackers. Years ago, one of our new clients in Boston came to us after suffering a data breach due to an unpatched web browser. The fix was simple, but the cleanup was anything but. That moment reinforced something we always tell our clients: security starts with the basics.
We now make it a point to regularly audit our clients' systems for missing patches and unsupported software. It's not flashy work, but it's effective. Even the best antivirus software can't protect you from threats that sneak in through outdated apps. At Tech Advisors, we install and maintain automatic update systems for clients, and we train their teams to understand why those pop-ups shouldn't be ignored. Elmo Taddeo from Parachute and I often talk about this--he also believes that patching is one of the simplest ways to prevent expensive problems later.
For IT professionals, staying on top of updates means more than clicking "install later." It means building a routine and checking that updates were successful. I recommend setting calendar reminders and using centralized tools that report back on update status. You don't need to be perfect--you just need to be consistent. It's the single most powerful thing you can do to reduce risk across your entire organization.
Enforce Least Privilege Access Control
As the CTO of a security-focused software startup, our core belief is 'zero tolerance' for security incidents. The single most essential practice for any IT department is Least Privilege.
Minimizing the attack surface is paramount. Granting only the minimum necessary access limits damage from compromised accounts or malicious actors. It's like locking every door and giving specific keys only when needed.
Limits Breach Impact: A compromised low-privilege account can't easily access sensitive data or critical systems. For example, a marketing intern's access shouldn't reach production databases.
Reduces Insider Threats: Limits accidental or intentional data leaks from excessive permissions. For example, a module developer shouldn't have full infrastructure admin rights.
Enhances Auditability: Controlled access simplifies tracking actions for incident response. For example, logs clearly show authorized access to customer data during investigations.
Enforces Need-to-Know: Users only access necessary information for their role. For example, support accesses customer records but not financials.
Implementing least privilege involves:
Role-Based Access Control (RBAC): Permissions based on roles ensure consistency.
Need-to-Use: Temporary elevated privileges granted and revoked as needed.
Regular Access Reviews: Auditing permissions to ensure they remain appropriate.
Automation & Monitoring: Tools manage privileges and detect deviations.
Combined with mandatory MFA for all access - an extra layer of locks - and thorough audit logging, least privilege is fundamental. It's not just a best practice; it's crucial for minimizing risk and protecting data.
Mandate Multi-Factor Authentication Across Systems
One essential security practice every IT department must adopt is enforcing Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) across all systems, especially for access to sensitive data and critical infrastructure. MFA adds an additional layer of protection beyond just a username and password, which are often compromised through phishing, brute-force attacks, or data breaches. With MFA in place, even if a user's credentials are stolen, unauthorized access becomes significantly more difficult without the second form of verification—such as a mobile app confirmation, biometric factor, or hardware token.
The importance of MFA has grown with the rise of remote work, cloud computing, and SaaS platforms, where traditional network perimeters no longer offer sufficient protection. MFA helps mitigate risks associated with account takeovers, which are among the most common causes of data breaches. Implementing this practice shows a proactive approach to security and aligns with many regulatory standards like GDPR, HIPAA, and ISO 27001.
Moreover, modern MFA solutions are user-friendly and can integrate seamlessly with existing identity and access management systems. While no single measure guarantees 100% security, MFA provides a high return on investment by significantly reducing the attack surface. In short, it's a foundational defense that every IT department, regardless of size or industry, should implement to protect users, systems, and data.
Limit Permissions to Reduce Security Risks
If there's one security practice every IT department should prioritize, it's least privilege access. I believe too many breaches occur because users and even internal teams have more access than they actually need. By limiting permissions to only what's necessary for a person's role, we can significantly reduce the risk of insider threats, credential misuse, and lateral movement if an account is compromised.
I've seen cases where a single compromised account with unnecessary admin rights led to massive security incidents that could have been prevented with proper access controls. Implementing role-based access control (RBAC) and regularly reviewing permissions might require extra effort, but in my opinion, it's one of the simplest and most effective ways to strengthen security.
Educate Employees on Phishing Threats
All employees need regular training on recognizing phishing communications, social engineering tactics, and the protocol to handle these situations. Without providing ongoing education on phishing to members of an organization, it's only a matter of time before someone enters their credentials into a bogus form and gives away access. Most breaches happen as a result of phishing tactics. We have to keep this present in everyone's mind to prevent it, so that when they receive an unusual communication, they call the security team instead of sharing their credentials.
Maintain and Test Regular Data Backups
There are many points to consider, but it's crucial to focus on preventing and limiting damage in case things go wrong. Therefore, regularly backing up critical data and testing the restoration process is a fundamental safety net for any IT department. In our work as a cybersecurity services provider, we frequently encounter these issues when we perform cybersecurity maturity assessments to evaluate an organization's preparedness across people, process, and technology levels. Human errors and technical glitches will unfortunately continue to occur. This doesn't mean we blame humans; it's about ensuring your people, processes, and technical controls work together to limit and contain incidents.
Therefore, ensuring reliable backups are in place means organizations can recover from these inevitable hiccups and avoid significant disruptions to operations. Practical steps involve first identifying what constitutes 'critical' data; then, establishing a robust backup schedule - perhaps daily for some data, weekly for others. Consider diverse backup media, such as on-site and off-site storage, or cloud-based solutions, to guard against different types of failures. In the case of ransomware, storing data on-site on the same logical network is a recipe for disaster as your backup data will get infected too.
Last but not least, regularly perform test restores to confirm the integrity of the data and the efficiency of the recovery process.
Rigorously Manage Software Patch Updates
If there's one single practice that no IT department can afford to compromise on, it's consistent, rigorous patch management—period.
Why? Because ignoring patches isn't merely negligent; it's practically inviting attackers into your organization. Almost every high-profile cyberattack you hear about exploits known, documented vulnerabilities. These aren't zero-day mysteries; they're vulnerabilities with available fixes that someone simply neglected or delayed applying. Frankly, there's no excuse in today's threat landscape to run outdated systems or applications.
Effective patch management isn't optional—it's a fundamental, non-negotiable aspect of IT security hygiene. Failing here isn't just irresponsible; it's professional malpractice.
Enable MFA to Prevent Account Compromises
They say, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it," but far too many IT departments allow users to work without multifactor authentication (MFA). To me, that's broken and needs to be fixed. MFA has been around for years and is a simple and reliable practice to secure your systems.
Microsoft recently reported that 99.9% (!!!) of compromised accounts didn't have MFA enabled. (https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/partner-center/security/security-at-your-organization)
So I say, if it's broken, fix it. MFA may seem like a hassle to everyday users, but the impact it can have on security is non-negotiable.
Apply Least Privilege for Data Protection
One must-have practice is enforcing multi-factor authentication (MFA) across all critical systems--especially email, cloud dashboards, and source code repositories.
Why? Because compromised credentials are still one of the top ways attackers gain access. MFA adds that extra layer of security--even if a password is leaked, access is still blocked without the second factor.
It's easy to implement, doesn't require a full security overhaul, and instantly raises the bar against phishing and brute force attacks. Think of it as locking the front door and placing a guard in front of it.
Conduct Security Onboarding for New Staff
Least privilege access is essential to any IT department because it's one of the most effective ways to prevent data breaches, human error, and internal misuse. Most security incidents don't happen because someone breaks through the front door--they happen because someone already inside had access to more than they needed. When too many people or systems have broad access, one compromised account can expose your entire business.
Implementing least privilege means giving users and systems access only to the specific data or tools they need--nothing more. Think of it like giving someone a key to just their office, not the whole building. You start by identifying the access needs for each role, then set up systems to manage and enforce those permissions. Most modern platforms, like Google Workspace, AWS, or Microsoft 365, offer built-in tools to help you control who can access what.
It's also important to review access regularly. When someone changes roles or leaves the company, their permissions should be updated or removed. You can even automate some of this with tools that track and flag over-permissioned accounts.
At its core, least privilege keeps your systems safer by minimizing the damage a mistake or breach can cause. It's simple in concept, powerful in practice, and foundational to any secure IT strategy.
Train Employees to Recognize Online Threats
For us, it's simply a matter of having a security onboarding training session for new staff. We conduct this session, which covers a wide range of IT and device security topics across the business, and we also advise our clients to do the same. It can be as simple as a 1-2 hour module in the onboarding phase for new staff. It's surprising how many businesses do not have this practice in place, and also how easily it can be implemented.
Empower Users with Threat Recognition Skills
We offer IT services to small businesses. One essential security practice we always implement is an employee training program called: Online Threat Recognition Training. While firewalls might be critical, many breaches and losses occur because users fall for phishing emails, tech support scams, fraudulent pop-ups, etc. To be clear, these are not traditional computer viruses. Rather, I would classify these as modern internet threats.
Regular, plain-language training helps employees and customers recognize common scams, understand red flags, and know what to do when confronted with suspicious messages, fake warnings, pop-ups, etc. Empowering users with this knowledge strengthens the human firewall—often the first and last line of defense against cyber threats.
