Cyber hygiene is just as important as brushing your teeth—except it applies to your online life. With the new year on the horizon, consider raising the barre on your cyber habits to stay in tip top shape. In 2025, staying ahead of cybercriminals requires secure passwords, updated software, and modern tools like VoIP, multi-factor authentication and one-stop-shop password managers. In this article, we explore how implementing digital tools can protect you from hackers, data breaches, and other online threats to your hosted communication solutions.
What is Cyber Hygiene?
Cyber hygiene means taking steps to keep your business' online space safe and free from threats. It is similar to how washing your hands often helps stop the spread of germs but at a more robust level.
Why Is Cyber Hygiene Important?
Cybercriminals are constantly coming up with new tactics to steal your information or disrupt your devices. Whether it’s phishing attacks, ransomware, or data breaches, practicing good cyber hygiene is key to preventing these threats. In 2025, keeping your organization's devices and online communications secure will be more important than ever. A holistic approach to cyber hygiene involves not just securing your data but also ensuring your communication tools are protected.
How VoIP and Hosted Communications Improve Your Cyber Hygiene
VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) and other hosted communications solutions have become vital tools for small businesses and remote teams. Here’s how they can support your overall cyber hygiene, keep your business running smoothly, and lower the risk of communication-related breaches:
Encrypted Communication
VoIP and hosted phone systems offer end-to-end encryption, ensuring that sensitive business conversations remain private. Encryption makes it much harder for hackers to intercept communications, which is particularly important for businesses handling confidential customer data.
Secured Call Routing and Authentication
Contemporary VoIP systems incorporate multi-factor authentication (MFA) and secure call routing, providing additional layers of security against unauthorized access. These measures significantly decrease the likelihood of cybercriminals infiltrating and exploiting your communications system.
Automatic Updates and Patches
VoIP and hosted communication solutions require regular updates. These updates help keep the systems secure. Just like your computer and smartphone software, they require maintenance to function properly. Prime Telecommunications is a UCaaS service provider for small to medium sized businesses in Chicago. We make sure updates are automated and delivered in real-time, which helps address vulnerabilities quickly.
Data Backup for Call Logs
Hosted communication systems usually provide automatic cloud backups for call logs, voicemails, and other important communication data. This ensures that even if your system is compromised or data is lost, you can easily recover it from the cloud.
Are Data Backups in Place?
Backing up your data is like making copies of your important documents—just in case something goes wrong. Here’s why it’s critical:
Protection Against Service Disruptions
Cyberattacks, system failures, or hardware malfunctions can disrupt your voice and messaging services. With proper backups, you can restore your communications quickly without a hitch.
Recover from Accidental Data Loss
Mistakes happen—calls, voicemails, or contact information can be deleted by accident. Regular backups and following the 3-2-1 Rule will ensure you can recover everything with minimal downtime.
Three Copies of Data: You should have at least three copies of your critical VoIP and UCaaS data, such as call logs, voicemails, contacts, and configuration settings. This ensures redundancy and increases the likelihood of recovery if something goes wrong.
Two Different Storage Types: Store your backups on at least two different media or storage types. For example, one could be a physical backup (e.g., local server, hard drive), while the second could be cloud-based storage, ensuring that if one system fails, you have another that can recover your data.
One Off-Site Backup: At least one copy of your VoIP and UCaaS data should be stored off-site, ideally in a secure cloud environment. This protects you from local disasters like fires, floods, or physical damage to your on-premises systems, and ensures your data is safe and accessible from anywhere.
How Often Should You Review Your Privacy Settings?
Your privacy settings let you control who can see your information online. Regular reviews are essential at the personal and corporate levels.
- Schedule Regular Reviews: Schedule reminders every few months to check privacy settings across accounts.
- Check All Your Accounts: Don’t forget old accounts. Close those you no longer use.
- Limit What You Share: The less personal information you share, the safer you are.
Want to Level Up Your Cyber Hygiene?
In 2025, good cyber hygiene is more important than ever. Strong passwords, regular updates, careful use of public Wi-Fi, and constant awareness of phishing scams all play a role in staying safe online. Using secure communications tools like VoIP and hosted communications solutions will help ensure that your business and personal communications stay safe and encrypted, minimizing risks to data and privacy.
Contact us for expert advice on how to integrate secure communication tools and best practices into your cybersecurity strategy. Let’s make your online life safer and more efficient, together!
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