SMALL BUSINESS AND CYBERSECURITY

Regardless of the size of your business, it is important to invest in some sort of cybersecurity to keep all your business protected against potential cyber-attacks. Not only should you be concerned with keeping your business’s data protected, but you should be doing everything in your power to make sure that your clients’ and your customers’ information is also kept private.

Most small to medium businesses have budget constraints that restrict them from engaging professional cybersecurity services, so it is important for them to be able to take cybersecurity into their own hands if they are capable. While we strongly suggest protecting your company with a service provider such as Myriad Services, we have produced a cybersecurity guide to help protect your small business from cyber-attacks.

Train Your Employees in Basic Security Principles

The best precaution to take is to establish basic security practices amongst your staff. Important policies to implement include the creation of strong passwords, appropriate internet usage, and the proper handling of customer information. It may sound harsh, but you should also consider penalties to be enforced when employees violate your company cybersecurity policies to ensure maximum protection.

Use Named Accounts

Many small businesses go with the simple approach of shared email and login accounts. Examples we have encountered include "accounts," "sales," "admin1," and "admin2."

Using individual named accounts allows you to implement security levels, restrict access to departing staff, and review user activity in the event of a security event. It is easy to use shared email accounts to keep the flexibility of generic users while still utilizing named accounts for security purposes.

Keep All Company Devices Secure

Most cybersecurity breaches happen when devices and software are not properly maintained. The best way to prevent such attacks is by ensuring that your devices have the latest software in web browsers, operating systems, and anti-virus software. These are the best solutions when it comes to preventing the possibility of malware or other online threats if you are not receiving services from professional cybersecurity companies. Strongly consider upgrading from standard endpoint antivirus to a Managed Detection and Response (MDR) solution.

Secure Wi-Fi Networks

Another area of risk is your Wi-Fi networks. These can be protected by making sure that you have a secure Wi-Fi network. When it comes to this, it involves more than just setting up a password; you must make sure that the connection is secure, encrypted, and hidden, with the guest or client network separated from your corporate network. Many entry-level Wi-Fi platforms have appropriate security features built-in, though they are often not configured out of the box.

Hiding your Wi-Fi network will require you to set up your wireless access point (router) so it does not broadcast a network name (SSID). You should also password-protect access to the router.

Limit Employee Access to Data and Limit Authority to Install Software

Not all employees need access to all the data in your systems—only the ones they need to fulfill their duties. Your employees should also require permission to install any software onto their devices to avoid the downloading of malicious software. Most breaches in small businesses come from staff inadvertently installing malicious software. There are tools included in Office 365, for example, that can help you control the installation of software while still restricting unapproved applications.

Set Up a Firewall

Firewalls are platforms that prevent outsiders from accessing data on a private network. It is important for your business to install or enable an operating system’s security firewall and to make sure that any employees working from home enable their system’s security firewall as well as implementing a gateway security firewall on any company site.

IT providers with cybersecurity capability are the best way to ensure the security of your company and clients, but we understand that sometimes you might need alternative methods if you are just starting up or your budget does not allow it. If you need help with anything related to cybersecurity, call us today.