Are you a Drilling or Exploration Manager at a small or Junior mining company just beginning a digital transformation journey? Do you want to make sure your business' cyber security is airtight, but you don't have the budget for IT support? If so, you've come to the right place!

In my last cyber security tips blog, we had a look at your devices and four easy (and free) ways that you can protect your tech assets in just a few minutes.

Today, I have another tip to share with you. This week's tip is to do with software, but surprise - it's not related to CorePlan!

In fact, I strongly recommend that you look at this software before looking at a digital operations or drill program intelligence platform.

Using this software, you'll be set up for cyber security success by laying a secure foundation for any and all software you'll use as a business going forward.

The most important software for mining companies

So - what is the number one piece of software that every exploration and drilling company needs, whether they have one employee or thousands?

I’m talking, of course, about a password manager.

Your passwords are your greatest defence against cyber criminals, but they can also be your greatest weakness.

How many times have you used the same password on multiple accounts, or used personal information like names or birthdays that anyone could find with a simple google search or visit to your social media profile? We’ve all been guilty of this at some point, and it’s understandable - it’s hard to come up with a new password every time you need one, let alone remember it later.

(If you’re wondering just how easy it can be for cyber criminals to crack your password, check out passwordmonster.com.)

A password manager can remove these challenges by helping you generate ultra-secure and complex passwords in seconds and save them for you in an encrypted vault accessible across all of your devices.

The best thing about them? You only have to remember one decent, strong password and then you're good to go across all your accounts.

When to start using a password manager

I recommend looking at a password manager as the first step in any digital transformation journey. This is because it will set you up for success by laying a secure foundation for any other software you use to run your business.

I know what you might be thinking: “But Jaxon, aren’t I just handing over all my strong passwords to the password manager?”

Not if you use a good, well-known and trusted password manager!

Rather than storing your passwords on a server, they are stored locally on your device (eg your laptop or phone). This means that if your password manager were to be hacked, your passwords would be safe - so long as the hacker didn't have access to your device.

This brings me to an important point: make sure to encrypt your hard drive or the files related to your password manager. Unencrypted files are at risk of potential exposure from a cyber attack or opportunistic theft. So, take an extra two minutes to complete this step and protect yourself (see my guide for instructions on how to do this in just a few minutes).

But back to the good news: passwords generated by password managers are unique and extremely difficult to crack (with the right settings enabled). So if one of your accounts were to be compromised, your other accounts are more likely to remain untouched. It's also an extra layer of protection if you don't have the option to turn on SSO, two-factor authentication or multi-factor authentication for a specific account.

My final advice on password managers is to sign your entire team up to a password manager for a complete solution. Your company's cyber security is only as strong as your team's weakest password, so make it easy for them to stay secure!

If you’re in the market for a password manager, I’d be happy to recommend one for you - just send me a message using the chat bubble.

More cybersecurity tips

If you’re on the hunt for more free cyber security tips, you’re in the right place. We have loads of other free resources for Drilling and Exploration managers like this on our blog.

Download the checklist here

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The #1 software every mining company needs (no, it's not CorePlan!)

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