Paul Watson
Recent data and reports show that small businesses have been extensively targeted by scammers, hackers, and cybercriminals, often through phishing, malware, ransomware, and other means. It is important to understand that these hackers are typically exploiting some of the existing vulnerabilities within the security perimeters, instead of investing ways to actually force-hack into devices and networks. If yours is a small business, you have to find ways to address cybersecurity concerns by strengthening your existing measures, and unlike what many SMBs believe, this doesn’t have to be expensive. In this post, we are sharing a few tips on how businesses can do better with their cybersecurity efforts.
Update your software, operating systems and firmware
Manufacturers, developers, and parent companies release updates for their respective products time and again, and that’s for a reason. These are updates & patches that fix issues, including security flaws and bugs, which can be potentially misused by hackers. Ensure that these security patches are installed as soon as available.
Secure your data
Data encryption is extremely critical for businesses, and there is no escaping from that. There are various ways to do that, so find the right means to secure data, without hampering operations. Another thing to consider is to restrict access rights. Keep an eye on who has access to what within an organization, so that data access and use of network & IT resources by unwanted people can be minimized.
Train your people
If you really want to address your cybersecurity concerns, you have to ensure that your employees are aware of their rights, responsibilities, and respective roles. Cybersecurity training and workshops should be conducted on a regular basis, and ensure that this becomes a part of onboarding process too. If needed, establish a set of dos and don’ts for browsing, access to websites, using office and personal emails, and how personal devices can be used for official needs.
Create a disaster recovery plan
Also called an incident response plan, a disaster recovery plan basically enlists the things or steps that must be taken to manage the consequences, in case a data theft or security breach is detected. This is one of the key aspects of ensuring cybersecurity, because you are doing your best to minimize the impact of a breach. Also, if your company can afford it, consider investing in cybersecurity insurance, and there are some really decent plans for smaller businesses.
Review your cybersecurity practices now!
