Have you just launched a brand new business and are just now starting to think about security?
No matter the industry you’re in and what types of data you handle on a daily basis, security should be one of the top priorities for you as a business owner.
Sadly, many small businesses fail within the first and second year, and barely any make it past 10 years. There are many reasons why small businesses fail.
It usually comes down to negligence and a lack of understanding of specific areas of business. Security is one of the most important aspects of your small business.
A lack of knowledge in this field can be the reason your business goes down in the future.
Password security
Passwords are the first and most important thing to review when considering your business security.
It costs nothing to create strong passwords, but they’ll add a solid layer of protection to all of your business data.
We all know how annoying it is when you create a strong password and end up forgetting it and resetting your password over and over again.
Well, consider using special business cybersecurity software to keep your business passwords strong and safe at all times.
Email safety
Email is a very popular channel through which hackers like to get ahold of business data and infect business devices with malware.
They do this by using various phishing techniques. Phishing is when hackers send fraudulent messages to users, like the classic, “congrats, you’ve just won a brand new iPhone!”.
If you or anyone else from within your business ends up clicking on such a link sent by hackers, your business network may be compromised.
It’s very important to stay safe on email and to only open links sent from legitimate sources.
If you ever receive a suspicious email, don’t interact with it and report it immediately.
Also, keep in mind that phishing can occur through various other channels, not just email. For example, you can get a phishing text message, phone call, or pop-up as well.
Remote Working
As more and more people have been working online, cybercriminals have been as active as ever.
This is because people working remotely are usually much easier to hack than when they work from the office.
For example, a company may have strongly encrypted wifi set up at the office, but when employees work remotely, they might connect to weakly encrypted public wifi networks.
For this reason, it’s a good idea to ask employees to avoid public wifi networks and only connect to their home network when using their work computers.
Another thing to consider is that employees might mix up their work activities and personal activities when working from home.
For example, they might browse random websites for fun and infect their device with malware while on them.
Or they might let their friends and family browse through their device, who end up infecting the device with malware.
Communicate the importance to your employees of using business devices strictly for business.
Access Restrictions
You can never fully eliminate the threat of a data breach, but you can minimize the possibility of it happening and the potential damage it can cause.
Do this by restricting access to the most sensitive information in your company.
Bank account info, passwords, and similar data should be encrypted and available only to the business owner or those who need the information to perform their work.
Cybersecurity A Wareness
If you and your employees are aware of the importance of cybersecurity and act accordingly, then your business’s chances of getting hacked will greatly decrease.
One of the most important things to cover is phishing awareness.
Make sure everyone knows what phishing is and that they’re always skeptical about links sent through email and pop-ups.
It’s also important to educate everyone on the importance of keeping passwords strong, using antivirus software, and never leaving business devices unattended in public spaces.
Conclusion
As a small business owner, you obviously have many things to worry about. You wouldn’t want to add “managing a data breach” or “dealing with ransomware” to that list, would you?
If you haven’t implemented any or most of the above-mentioned cybersecurity points, now would be the time.