Many small business owners believe that cyber-attacks will never happen to them. Cybercrime costs individuals and businesses trillions of dollars each year, but the focus has shifted heavily towards small businesses. Verizon’s 2018 report on Data Breach Investigations estimates that 58% of all cyber attacks occur against businesses with fewer than 250 employees. Why? Small businesses are less apt to allocate a large budget for their cybersecurity. While it is impossible to completely protect your business from cyber threats, there are some basic practices that will add significant security to your operation.

Train Your Employees

Start by making sure everyone working at your business is on the same page. Create a manual for all new employees and list out all best practices that include what to watch out for and how to respond. Institute strict password and internet use policies with appropriate penalties for violations.

Update All Software Often

Keep your computers and other technology up to date. This means updating all software- security, browser, and OS- when you’re prompted to.

Secure Your Internet Connection

Make it difficult for people to access your wifi. Change passwords and network names often, create a separate guest network for customers or visitors.

Backup Your Data

Companies should always be backing up their data. One of the biggest cybersecurity threats for SMBs is ransomware. As we discussed in our previous post, ransomware is when a company’s data is held under encryption hostage until they pay the ransom.  

Move to the Cloud

According to Cisco’s 2018 Cybersecurity Report for SMBs, 68% of mid-market businesses go to the cloud for better data security. Cloud services offer a lot of security measures, and SMBs don’t have to worry about hiring more people or paying extra resources. Choosing cloud-based services close in on many security gaps within a company.

Nobody wants to navigate through the aftermath of a cyber attack, and being unprepared is the worst position to be in. Don’t wait until after you’ve experienced a breach to take cybersecurity threats seriously. Contact Communications Deployment Partners today to learn more.