How Can You Protect Your Company From Cyber Attacks?
A report has shown that cybercriminals lean towards quieter attacks, targeting small businesses, but cyber attacks increased by 59% for 2018. And by the end of 2018, the number of attacks peaked at 80 per day, with an average of 62 for the whole year. These cyber-attacks damage businesses in many ways and many are unable to recover from the financial and reputational impact of a breach. To protect your company from the damaging effects of a cyberattack, it is essential to take small business security seriously.
If you own a start-up or a company with few employees, you may be thinking that small business security systems cost too much and that you don’t need them. You may mistakenly believe that your company is too small to be an attractive target to hackers.
However, more than 43% of cybercrimes target small businesses. Apart from cybercriminals, you also have to contend with the possibility of internal threats, like people within your organisation who accidentally or maliciously compromise your network’s integrity.
For you to ensure that your business stays secure, you need to have all hands on deck. Your team must also know their responsibilities to help implement your small business security plan. Here are some questions to ask yourself to determine whether you and your team understand what to do to prevent cyber attacks.
Ask a Dork to review your security policies. Book below for a free 60-minute session.
Do Your Employees Know the Importance of Small Business Security?
Creating a cybersecurity culture starts with educating your employees on why they must adhere to your small business security requirements. A worker will be less likely to follow a policy if they do not understand why doing so is important.
Have your employees attend a short training session, facilitated by either your own IT department or an external IT service provider so that they can learn more about your cybersecurity policies. This will also give them the opportunity to ask questions as well as request small business security tips from your IT team.
Ask a Dork to review your IT security plan. Book a free 60-minute session below.
Who Has Access to Your Information?
Some employees need greater access privileges than others. For example, a manager may need to edit, copy, or download a spreadsheet. However, an entry-level employee will only need to view the file.
Giving a person greater access privileges than what is needed can create vulnerabilities and compromise small business security. To prevent this, avoid programs that grant the same privileges to all standard users.
Access control is a feature of most small business security systems. Choose one that allows you to customise the privileges granted to workers according to their roles.
Ask a Dork to review your IT security system. Book below for a free 60-minute session.
Do Your Employees Know How to Create a Strong Passphrase?
Instead of a traditional password, your employees should create and use a strong passphrase. Unlike many other small business security solutions, making a passphrase does not require special software or training. However, it is very effective in protecting your business information stored in computers and mobile devices.
Can Your Employees Identify Phishing Emails?
Something as simple as opening an attachment from an unfamiliar sender or inputting information on an external website can severely compromise small business security. Your employees should be aware of and know how to recognise phishing emails and spam.
Is Your Network Adequately Protected?
You may have an antivirus program installed, but is it enough to protect your network as well as the computers and devices connected to them? If you don’t have an in-house IT department, consider opting for small business security services from a trusted provider. An IT expert can help make sure that your network, as well as everything connected to it, is configured to protect against cyber breaches.
Do you want to improve your business security? Book a free 60-minute session with a Dork.
The Final Word
Ensuring small business security not only protects your company but also your suppliers, vendors and partners. By taking a few simple steps, you can help prevent cyber breaches and avoid financial, legal and reputational damage to your organisation.
Contact a CHB Leader in Managed IT Support to learn more about IT security tools and services that will help protect your business.
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