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It’s the time of year when many people do some “spring cleaning,” and as our cybersecurity partner OrbitalFire advises, businesses shouldn’t overlook updating their cybersecurity to ensure their data stays safe – this season and beyond.
Spring Cleaning Isn’t Just for Closets: 5 Cybersecurity Tasks Your Business Should Tackle This Season
The birds are chirping, the snow is melting, and your inbox is still full of outdated attachments, forgotten login alerts, and at least three versions of “final_FINAL_contract.pdf.”
Welcome to spring.
While you’re purging your junk drawer and wiping down windows, don’t forget that your digital house needs a good scrubbing too — especially when it comes to cybersecurity.
Here are five cybersecurity spring cleaning tasks that will leave your systems feeling fresh, tidy, and much safer.
1. Clear Out Your Inbox (Seriously)
Your email inbox isn’t a filing cabinet. It’s a risk vortex.
If you’re holding onto old emails with sensitive attachments—contracts, customer info, passwords (please don’t) — it’s time to delete or store them safely in your secure file system or drive. Leaving sensitive data in your inbox is like storing your tax returns in the glovebox of your car. Eventually, it’s going to end badly.
Cyber Pro Tip: Set a reminder to do this quarterly. Or better yet, set up auto-rules to delete or archive anything over 90 days old (after saving what’s important).
2. Dust Off Your Policies, Procedures, and Plans
When was the last time you reviewed your internal cybersecurity policies? If you’re blowing off cobwebs to find your incident response plan, that’s your sign.
Regulations change. So do threats. Ensure your plans reflect your tech stack, business operations, and risk tolerance. And if you’ve hired new folks or gone remote since your last review, it’s time for an update. From there, we recommend reviewing them annually and any time you change your tech stack or operations.
Not sure where to start? We’ll help you review, rewrite, or reboot them.
3. Revisit Your Contracts (Yes, All of Them)
Your clients, vendors, and partners may have tighter cybersecurity expectations than the government — and you may have already agreed to them. Dig through your contracts and check the fine print. Are you required to notify clients of incidents within 24 hours? Use specific encryption standards? Maintain certain compliance certifications?
If you’re out of alignment, spring is a great time to fix it — before you get burned by a breach or a surprise audit.
Cyber Pro Tip: Look for terms like “data breach,” “cybersecurity,” “confidentiality,” and “incident response” in your contracts.
4. Audit User Accounts and Permissions
Nothing says “risky business” like a former employee still having access to your systems — or current employees with more access than they actually need.
Take some time this season to:
- Disable accounts for anyone who has left the company.
- Remove unused accounts and expired third-party access.
- Reevaluate access levels and privileges for current users. No one needs “Super Admin” access unless they’re your actual IT admin.
Cyber Pro Tip: Least privilege is the name of the game. If you’re unsure who has what, we can help map it out.
5. Deadlines & Renewals: Get Ahead of the Curve
April 15 – NYSDFS Annual Certification Deadline
If you’re subject to the New York Department of Financial Services (NYSDFS) Cybersecurity Regulation, your annual compliance certification is due April 15. That’s right around the corner. Don’t wait to scramble through logs and paperwork the week before — get it wrapped up now.
Cyber Insurance Renewal
Cyber insurance isn’t just a checkbox anymore — it’s a lifeline. And if your policy is up for renewal soon, now’s the time to get your ducks in a row. Many insurers are tightening requirements, and a few missing controls could mean denied coverage or increased premiums. Want to learn more about Cyber Insurance? Watch “Putting the Cyber in Cyber Insurance”
Cyber Pro Tip: Review your policy requirements now and assess whether you meet them.
Ready to Clean House?
Spring is all about renewal, and that includes your approach to cybersecurity. A little proactive cleanup can prevent a lot of pain later — just like tossing out that suspicious Tupperware before it becomes sentient.
Need help running your spring cyber checklist? Reach out to OrbitalFire Cybersecurity to learn how we can help.
It’s Always Cybersecurity Season at GTM
GTM partners with OrbitalFire to help our staff identify and report cybersecurity issues. Every GTM employee undergoes regular testing to ensure that we can identify phishing emails and other issues.
We understand that trust is the foundation of our relationship with you. When it comes to payroll, security, and compliance, these are not just priorities but imperatives. We are dedicated to maintaining the highest levels of data security, fraud prevention, and regulatory compliance to protect the sensitive information you entrust to us.
Our state-of-the-art security measures are designed to safeguard your data from unauthorized access and cyber threats. We employ a robust combination of physical, administrative, and technical controls, including advanced encryption technologies, continuous network monitoring, and strict access controls, ensuring your data is protected around the clock.
Cyber and Data Breach Liability Insurance
As an additional method of security, cyber and data breach liability insurance is available in case of a cyberattack or data breach. A cyber liability and data breach insurance policy can help if your business computers get hit with a virus that exposes private or sensitive information, your business is sued for losing customers’ sensitive data, or your business takes on public relations costs to protect its reputation after a data breach.
If you are interested in cyber and data breach insurance, the GTM Insurance Agency can discuss your options. Contact them for a free quote or more information.
