How construction companies can improve their cybersecurity

In construction, the importance of robust cybersecurity can often be overlooked. When working outside the technology space, it can be challenging to recognize the need for safety protocols. In fact, it’s common in many, non-tech industries to ignore the value of digital protections. Companies may believe that the issue simply isn’t worth their attention because they aren’t tech companies themselves. 

This couldn’t be further from the truth. The work done by construction companies is not only expensive but plays an important role in the world around us. Every construction company contains a vast amount of valuable project, financial, and employee data. Whether it’s infrastructure plans, banking information, or your staff's privacy at stake, construction companies have every reason to protect the important work they do and their data.

However, it isn’t always easy to find the right solution. In the digital age, there’s a plethora of tech solutions built to help secure data of all kinds. Construction companies faced with navigating this ecosystem may not know where to start. When it comes to cybersecurity, it’s important to make sure the steps you’re taking are the best fit for your business. 

There’s no need to fear though. We’ve put together some tips explaining what construction companies should be looking for in their cybersecurity solutions. Let’s go over how construction companies can identify the best cybersecurity tools to secure their data.

SSO: Single Sign-On

It’s not uncommon for companies to use different software across their business. In construction, these can be anything from an ERP to a CRM. There are different tools for the different needs of the business. However, more software usually means more logins. Keeping a long list of usernames and passwords isn’t just tedious, it’s also a security risk. Every set of credentials presents a new potential vulnerability to your system, especially as passwords begin to repeat and become more easily guessed. 

Construction companies can use SSO (Single Sign-On) to solve this problem. An SSO service combines all of your login credentials into one single access point, so every employee will only ever need one login. Not only does this reduce the number of potential credential breaches, but it also allows employees to remember a single strong password as opposed to trying to create many weaker ones. Simply put, SSO reduces the number of keys to your information and strengthens the ones that do exist for better security.

SOC-2 Compliance

One of the biggest challenges in cybersecurity is finding who you can trust. The security of your data is only ever as good as the company that’s securing it. It’s important to make sure that the companies and tools you trust with your data are taking the right precautions to protect it. However, this presents a challenge. How can you verify the security of the company that’s supposed to help you with yours? This creates a catch-22 dilemma that makes evaluation difficult.

Fortunately, businesses don’t need to worry. There’s a simple identifier that can tell you right away whether or not this company is the right fit for your data: SOC-2 compliance. SOC-2 compliance is the gold standard for cybersecurity. Achieving SOC-2 status requires completing an extensive and thorough checklist of security protocols that are measured and approved by a third party. If the services you’re using are SOC-2 compliant, you can be certain they’re offering the highest industry standard of security that you can get.

Secure your business with the right tools

These tips can help your business navigate digital safety in the industry. However, cybersecurity is an extensive topic. There are many challenges and solutions that construction companies should stay informed about to secure their business. Awareness is the first and most essential step of good cybersecurity.

If you’d like to learn more about why and how you can digitally secure your construction company, check out our recent eBook.

Or, if you’d like to see a financial automation platform with cybersecurity already built into it, speak with our experts and get a live Briq demo at briq.com/demo.