No matter how secure you may be right now, you could always be doing more. Have you double-checked your cybersecurity lately? Review the best practices below to strengthen your small business cybersecurity.
When everything is going well, the last thing you want to do is think about what will happen when something goes wrong. It’s not necessary to dwell on the potential for a security disaster though – you know that it’s a possibility, so let’s just leave it at that. What’s important about this is that you know to cover your bases.
No need to assume the worst – just plan for it, so you know you’re protected. As that old saying goes, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure”.
Do what you need to do to “prevent” now, so you don’t have to pay for the “cure” later.
Your firewall is your first line of defense for keeping your information safe.
A firewall is a particular type of solution that maintains the security of your network. It blocks unauthorized users from gaining access to your data. Firewalls are deployed via hardware, software, or a combination of the two.
A firewall inspects and filters incoming and outgoing data in the following ways:
Your staff can have a significant effect on your cybersecurity – either they know enough to keep your assets secure, or they don’t, and therefore present a serious threat to your security.
So, which is it? Do your employees and volunteers have the knowledge they need to spot cybercrime scams, avoid common pitfalls and keep your data secure?
If you’re not sure, then they may need training. Security awareness training helps your employees and volunteers know how to recognize and avoid being victimized by phishing emails and scam websites.
They learn how to handle security incidents when they occur. If your employees and volunteers are informed about what to watch for, how to block attempts and where they can turn for help, this alone is worth the investment.
How Do I Train My Employees For Cyber Security?
A comprehensive cybersecurity training program will teach your staff how to handle a range of potential situations:
Passwords remain a go-to tool for protecting your data, applications, and workstations.
They also remain a common cybersecurity weakness because of the careless way employees go about trying to remember their login information. Weak passwords are easy to compromise, and if that’s all that stands between your data in the cloud and in applications, you could be at serious risk for a catastrophic breach.
That’s why protecting your login processes with an additional layer of security – multi-factor authentication – is recommended. Multi-factor authentication requires the user to utilize two methods to confirm that they are the rightful account owner. It is an available security feature in many popular applications and software suites.
There are three categories of information that can be used in this process:
Implement Mobile Device Management and Bring Your Own Device policies that allow employees to use their own devices in combination with the business’ without compromising your security:
And don’t limit yourself to desktops, laptops, and phones – there’s more out there for you to take advantage of. Have you considered what the Internet of Things and wearable devices can do for workplace efficiency? Now’s the time to get on board – up to 20.4 billion IoT devices will be online by 2020.
This is one of the more basic steps on the list, but no less important. It can’t really be automated or outsourced to any technological aids; it’s just about doing the work. You need to have a carefully implemented process to track the lifecycle of accounts on your network.
Wi-Fi is a necessary part of doing business. Your staff cannot go without it, so it becomes your responsibility to make sure it’s secured, simple as that.
Your cybersecurity measures won’t amount to much if your laptops, tablets, smartphones and other devices are left out in the open for anyone to take.
It’s one thing for a cybercriminal to hack into your system remotely. It can be significantly easier if they’re doing so directly on a business device.
If you accept payment through credit and debit cards, make sure to follow established security policies and practices to mitigate any potential risks.
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