We frequently hear about hackers, data breaches, and various alarming incidents in the cybersecurity realm. It is always crazy to see on the news or read an article about the latest attack, but imagine if you went from the spectator of it to the victim. IT platforms whether it be a PSA, RMM, or in our case, a documentation platform, come equipped with numerous built-in security measures to safeguard your data. As technology continues to advance, securing your data is more crucial than ever. In our previous blog, we highlighted the increasing importance of cybersecurity measures in the MSP industry. In this blog, we'll focus on very basic settings.
In addition to the security measures already set in stone, these platforms typically offer additional security options that we highly recommend using. Items like MFA, SAML/SSO, and IP access control are all very effective security enhancements that can be set up in Hudu (and various other platforms) to ensure you are taking additional steps to protect your data. To put it in other terms, lets pretend we are talking about your house rather then your documentation system. Say you are getting a security system installed because you live in a very dangerous area and the technician says, "We actually have even more protections for your home and they are included with the security system you already bought." Would you respond and say, "No thank you, I will take my chances" or as the old saying goes, "Sounds great, better be safe then sorry."
Through this blog, we are going to dive deeper in to the additional security options that you should think about setting up within your documentation system like MFA, SAML/SSO, IP access control, and more. Setting up these items doesn't only increase your own personal security of your instance, but also ensures that your technicians are following specific guidelines and standards that you have set in stone because like I said, security and data protection is more important then ever.
The first, and probably simplest, security measure you can set up in Hudu is MFA. MFA has become increasingly popular across technology platforms recently and there is a good reason why. Two factor/multi-factor authentication requires users to provide an additional authentication method in addition to their password such as an authenticator app or Duo 2FA. Hudu does have guides on setting up 2FA with common providers as well as with Duo.
In addition to setting up MFA for your internal Hudu users, another benefit of setting up MFA is you have the ability to enforce this for all external portal users as well. In other words, you can also enforce MFA for all documentation that you choose to share with your end users, ensuring they are also taking the proper security measures when signing in to the external portal.
Whether it be for only your internal users or also including your end users, setting up 2FA in Hudu will enhance your instance's security.
Include MFA tip here
Another very common security and truly, a convenience enhancement that you can set up is Single Sign On (SSO). As long as your SSO provider is compatible with SAML.2.0 then it can be set up with Hudu. Hudu has many guides on setting up SSO for different provides as well. SSO allows users to log in once and access multiple related software systems with a single ID, increasing the convenience for your employees when they are logging in to a platform.
Another option you have with SSO is to disable password logins for non-administrators (users that are not super admins or admins); by clicking "Disable Password Access" for non-Admins, all users below admin will have to exclusively use single sign-on to access your Hudu environment. Admins will then be able to login via an admin sign-in page. This will prevent you from being locked out of your account when your Identity Provider is unavailable.
Tip- Set up your preferred SSO method in Hudu.
Success Strategy- Increase convenience within your company by ensuring that each time your users sign in to Hudu, they are utilizing an effective security measure like Single Sign On.
Include SAML/SSO tip here
The last additional security measure that we are going to talk about in this blog that can be set up within Hudu is IP Access Control. This enhancement allows admins to specify which IP addresses can access the Hudu environment, providing an added layer of protection against unauthorized access The greatest benefits of setting this feature up are enhanced security and easier IP management on the admin side of things. By whitelisting specific IPs, you ensure only authorized personnel have access and ensure all configurations can be made directly from the Hudu admin page.
Sometimes, IP Access control can be hard to navigate because it can interfere with items such as API scripts and external users. Turning on IP Access Control will only allow specified IP addresses access to Hudu but these rules do not apply to publicly shared pages, the REST API, and Hudu external apps. In addition, you do have the option to disable IP access control for portal members, effectively putting you in control if you want your external portal members to also comply to the IP Access Control restrictions.
Tip- Set up IP Access Control in Hudu.
Success Strategy- Have a centralized list of all IP Addresses that you permit to access your Hudu instance, making sure that you know exactly what employees/IP addresses are accessing your documentation.
Include IP Access Control tip here
Wrapping it Up
These are just some of the many ways you can utilize additional security measures to keep your data safe and secure. Through these blogs, we will continue to dive deeper in to additional ways you can increase your data protection. The most important thing to take away is that our world is ever changing and cyber threats are becoming more and more prevalent. Platforms like Hudu are designed to be extremely secure and have numerous data privacy compliances but it is just as important for you to take your own precautions as well. The ability to set up MFA, SAML/SSO, and IP Access Control are some ways you can achieve this and have the peace of mind that your data is more protected because of it.