News Years Cybersecurity Resolutions: 7 Methods to Strengthen Your Security in 2025

December 17, 2024

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As we step into 2025, businesses must prioritise strengthening their cybersecurity frameworks to not only protect sensitive data but also to maintain operational integrity and build stakeholder trust. With cyber threats becoming more sophisticated, taking proactive and strategic measures is essential for Australian businesses. Here are five critical cybersecurity goals businesses should focus on this year to safeguard their future.

1. Conduct a Comprehensive Cybersecurity Audit

Starting the year with a full-scale cybersecurity audit helps businesses identify existing vulnerabilities and evaluate the effectiveness of their current security measures.

This process involves a detailed assessment of your network infrastructure, software, and data management practices to ensure compliance with industry standards and regulatory requirements.

For example, a mid-sized organisation conducting an audit discovered multiple outdated software versions running on their systems and these outdated programs created unpatched security gaps that cybercriminals could exploit. By promptly updating the software and patching the vulnerabilities, the company eliminated significant entry points for potential attacks, improving its overall security posture. The Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC) provides valuable resources for incident response planning and vulnerability assessments.

2. Implement Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)

Enhancing account security through Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) is one of the most effective ways to protect sensitive information.

MFA requires users to provide two or more verification factors—such as passwords, biometrics, or one-time codes—significantly reducing the chances of unauthorised access.

Implementing MFA across all employee accounts where you combine standard password credentials with biometric verification like fingerprint scans can drastically reduce breaches caused by phishing attacks, as stolen credentials alone were insufficient for gaining access.

If you are looking for guidance, ACSC offers clear guidelines on implementing MFA, or you can view our step-by-step instructions for setting up MFA for your business.

3. Provide Cybersecurity Training for Employees

Employees are often the first and most important line of defence against cyber threats. Regular cybersecurity training ensures your team can identify phishing attempts, create strong passwords, and follow secure data-handling practices.

Introducing something like quarterly cybersecurity workshops can lead to a significant reduction in security incidents caused by human error. Employees learn to recognise suspicious emails, report them promptly, and follow safe practices that protect sensitive company data.

It is essential to build a culture around cybersecurity. Read our blog on 7 Proven Strategies to Build a Strong Cybersecurity Culture in Your Organisation to learn how you can approach this. Over time, your workforce will become more confident in detecting and mitigating potential threats, strengthening the company’s overall resilience.

4. Upgrade to Advanced Endpoint Protection

As remote work and hybrid environments become the standard, securing every device that connects to your network—also known as endpoints—should be a priority.

Endpoint protection refers to security solutions designed to monitor, identify, and prevent threats on devices such as laptops, desktops, mobile devices, and servers. Unlike traditional antivirus software, advanced endpoint protection leverages artificial intelligence (AI), behavioural analysis, and real-time threat detection to stop malicious activities before they can spread.

Endpoint protection is essential because it identifies threats like malware, ransomware, phishing attacks, and suspicious user behaviours, which are increasingly sophisticated in today’s cyber landscape.

For instance, Microsoft Defender for Endpoint offers Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) capabilities, helping businesses detect and isolate infected devices immediately. By identifying early indicators of compromise, companies can mitigate risks and prevent widespread disruptions.

5. Develop a Robust Incident Response Plan with a Backup and Recovery Strategy

No matter how advanced or comprehensive your cybersecurity measures are, no business is 100% immune to cyber incidents. Cyber threats constantly evolve, and attackers often exploit the smallest vulnerabilities or human errors to breach systems. This is why having a well-documented incident response plan is essential—it equips your business to act swiftly and effectively when a cyber event occurs.

An incident response plan outlines the processes needed to detect, respond to, and recover from threats, helping to minimise damage, financial loss, and downtime. A robust backup and recovery strategy is a crucial part of this plan, ensuring that critical data can be restored quickly in the event of an attack such as ransomware or system failures.

Of course, backups should be performed regularly, stored securely (including offline or in isolated environments), and tested frequently to confirm their reliability. By implementing effective recovery protocols, businesses can avoid catastrophic data loss and significantly reduce operational disruptions, allowing them to resume normal activities with minimal downtime.

Without a plan, delays in action can worsen the impact, leading to extended disruptions and costly recovery efforts. Ensuring breach reporting to relevant Australian bodies is particularly important, especially when it comes to reporting obligations as lined out in Australia’s Cybersecurity Bill 2024.

6. Set Up Data Governance Policies and Processes

Data governance involves the systematic management of an organisation's data, covering everything from collection and classification to integration, storage, and usage.

Unlike data security, which focuses solely on protecting data from breaches and unauthorised access, data governance establishes policies and procedures to ensure data quality, compliance with industry regulations, and efficient organisation.

Strong data governance enables businesses to define clear roles and responsibilities for managing data, identify and correct poor-quality or incomplete data early, and create effective metadata structures for better data organisation.

By implementing robust data governance frameworks, organisations can enhance data quality, availability, and integrity, which are critical for informed decision-making, operational efficiency, and maintaining stakeholder trust. Combined with effective data security measures that focus on protecting access, confidentiality, and integrity, businesses can ensure their data is secure, reliable, and readily available to authorised users.

7. Conduct Third-Party Risk Assessments

Third-party risk management is another essential element of a strong cybersecurity strategy, particularly for Australian businesses that rely on external vendors, suppliers, or service providers. As organisations increasingly depend on third-party partners for critical services, these relationships can introduce vulnerabilities that attackers exploit to gain access to systems and data. Third-party risk management involves assessing, monitoring, and mitigating the security risks posed by external partners to ensure they meet the same cybersecurity standards as your business.

Implementing rigorous vendor assessments, enforcing clear security protocols, and regularly auditing third-party access are crucial steps to minimise exposure. By actively managing third-party risks, businesses can prevent breaches that originate from compromised external systems, protect sensitive information, and maintain operational continuity.

Achieve Cybersecurity Excellence in 2025 with DefenderSuite

By prioritising these cybersecurity goals, businesses can strengthen their defences, protect critical assets, and stay ahead of evolving threats.

Superior IT’s DefenderSuite is designed to help businesses like yours achieve cybersecurity excellence with tailored solutions such as phishing simulations, advanced endpoint protection, and employee training programs.

Take the first step towards a secure and resilient business in 2025. Contact Superior IT at info@superiorit.com.au or call 1300 93 77 49 to discover how DefenderSuite can safeguard your organisation and empower your workforce to become the first line of defence.

Sources:

Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC) Cyber Security Incident Response Planning: Practitioner Guidance: Cyber.gov.au

Microsoft. Microsoft Defender for Endpoint: Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR): Microsoft Security Documentation

Microsoft Defender. Microsoft Defender for Endpoint Overview: Microsoft Learn

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