No business is too small to be targeted by cybercriminals. The shift to work-from-home environments combined with the constantly evolving nature of malware means that small and medium businesses (SMBs) seem to have a target on their backs. There’s never been a better time to strengthen your company’s security than now. Although, there’s never been a BAD time to make your business more secure!
Check out these six different ways that you can improve your business’s security posture. Using these simple steps can boost your resilience to cyber security threats. If you’re interested in learning more about services that will tackle all of these areas and more, check out our page on Managed IT Solutions.
1. Have a security risk assessment done.
To effectively protect your business, you need to understand what the most prevalent threats to your business are. System failures, vulnerable software, natural disasters, human error, and malicious human actions are all potential threats. Determine how at-risk your business is for each of these threats. Then create a security plan that addresses all of them!
2. Invest in several layers of protection.
Your business data can never be too protected. Create password policies for your employees such as “don’t leave sticky notes with your password laying around.” Utilize antivirus technology, a VPN, and a firewall to reduce your network’s vulnerability. Consider implementing mandatory multi-factor logins, continuous network monitoring, and hard drive encryption policies.
3. Update your software frequently.
Constant software updates can be annoying, but they are necessary for your business security. Oftentimes, software patches address security concerns in a program. This isn’t always the case, and you can read the patch notes to see what a patch actually does. However, it’s often much easier to just update software as patches are released! If you use a managed service provider, ask them to automate this process for you. They can install remote monitoring and management tools and keep your devices up to date for you.
4. Create clear policies for cybersecurity.
Cybersecurity policies will vary depending on your business. Healthcare businesses are beholden to HIPAA policies. Retail stores have to abide by Payment Card Industry (PCI) standards, as well as state and federal security regulations. Write and distribute clearly defined rules, instructions, and security practices to your employees. This will help ensure that everyone is on the same page when it comes to expectations and regulations. Learn more about how SimplicIT can help keep your business in compliance by visiting our page on Network Security.
5. Conduct training for all of your employees.
Conduct training across your entire workforce at least once a year, at the very least. Employee awareness training can educate your team on common scams and malware, as well as ways to avoid them. Cybersecurity threats are always evolving. For that reason, it’s wise to have frequent security training sessions. Once a year should be the bare minimum, but ideally you should have several sessions a year. New employees should receive clear instruction when they are first hired.
6. Frequently backup your data.
If you’re using a Managed Service Provider, there’s a good chance that your data is already constantly being backed up. Ask about the frequency of your backups to ensure that it meets your business needs. You should backup your data at least once a day, but it’s wise to consider more frequent updates. Otherwise, if your system failed, you’d lose all of the data, information updates, or transactions that happened since your last backup.
All of the measures listed above are simple enough for you to handle on your own. However, there are clear benefits to working with a Managed Service Provider (like the team at SimplicIT) to tighten your cybersecurity! With our services, you’ll get unlimited access to advice, automated security tools, and 24/7 emergency assistance. To learn more about our services, contact us today.
