Evolving software and office technology has forced businesses to invest more attention into their IT. This is particularly true when using applications, which have enabled employees to collaborate and access projects within the company network from anywhere. Unfortunately, cybercriminals have turned to applications to prey upon small businesses’ lack of security measures to breach these platforms. As a result, security experts insist that application security should become a priority to block all threats against your network.
Learn What Internal Security Threats You Should Know
What is Application Security?
Typically, application security doesn’t rely on a single piece of technology; as a type of cybersecurity, application security is a combination of best practices, procedures, and specific tools designed to block potential threats from breaching your application data. Aside from scanning for vulnerabilities in your applications, this involves educating your workforce in cyber hygiene practices and security measures needed when using necessary applications for work tasks. For example, when using a work-approved chat app, it’s important to regularly close the app, check for software security updates, and only link legitimate websites to prevent hacker infiltration. If your business handles sensitive financial or personal information for clients, ensuring the privacy and protection of application data is critical to maintaining customer loyalty.
From private communications to file-sharing, application security helps block potential threats from hacking your essential work apps.
How Application Security Benefits Small Businesses
By implementing and enforcing application security measures into your business processes, you can avoid, identify, and block more potential threats to your private information. For small businesses, this form of cybersecurity is quite valuable, since it enables higher defenses for your network while limiting the risks of cyber liability or compliance issues in the process. Some specific features of application security that you can benefit from include:
Privileged Authentication
Most cybersecurity measures require a check of end-user authentication prior to entering a private network. Having authentication safeguards in your business applications should be one of the first steps in implementing application security, since these measures can track and block any stolen credentials seeking to access the app. With Innovative Integration’s i3AppWatch, business leaders gain more control and visibility over their network, allowing them to restrict app access to certain personnel and monitor end-user account activity. These security protocols help control who can access certain features within apps, block suspicious accounts, and mark which accounts are being exposed.
Application Whitelisting
Aside from preventing unauthorized and unauthenticated access, application security also works to restrict which business apps can be used within your network. If vulnerabilities allow hackers to use certain software tools, then there is a high risk of attackers installing malware or breaching private communications. Application security negates the use of private tools through Application Whitelisting. Supporting a zero trust security approach, application whitelisting requires a third-party provider to control who can utilize application features across the network. For private chat interactions, this may involve providers activating end-to-end encryption measures that make reviewing sensitive information difficult without a private decryption code.
Entrust Your Application Security to i3AppWatch
Application software acts as a reservoir of valuable information for small businesses. When those resources are targeted by external threats, trust Innovative’s i3AppWatch service to enhance the authentication, authorization, and utility of your business programs 24/7. Learn more by visiting our Services and Products page today.
