Jewel Beat
When we run a business, we want it to be successful. But there are a lot of technical things that must be taken care of before we even think about launching it. And once we start working, it’s not done. There are so many background processes that must be completed, in order for what the people see, to work nicely and properly. And we talk about the cybersecurity aspects mostly.
Many business owners think they are safe, just because they are small. But, that’s absolutely not true, since a lot of small businesses experienced some form of cyber-attack, just because of the lack of proper protection. That’s really unfortunate, and it’s pretty worrying that people won’t learn from their mistakes, and they will be victims over and over again.
We are sure it’s such a huge expense to invest in proper cybersecurity, especially at the very beginning, but there is always a chance to adjust the spending and invest in good protection. There are indeed cybersecurity services that will cover the whole thing up for you, and you can pay them weekly or monthly, or receive a contract-based service.
But, let’s see how you can improve the whole thing:
1. Proper training for the employees
Every employee must know what is cybersecurity, and why it is important for them and the whole company. They need to learn how to keep sensitive information safe, and how to protect their business accounts on every device. They will learn how to create strong passwords, and how to use the 2FA as an additional layer of security.
Many people don’t pay attention to this, and use weak passwords, or share them with their coworkers. So, it’s a nice idea to have regular training, so they can upgrade their knowledge. We also suggest printing the safety rules and encouraging the workers to be respectful of them.
2. It’s all about backups
Many companies, even the smaller ones, are using cloud solutions as the most optimal storage option. But, it’s not the best solution. Keeping a backup copy of your work is what you need to do at any point. Make sure you have all the important documents safe, even though it means printing them, or archiving them on physical devices that aren’t connected to the internet.
Also, take care of the encryption protocols. Even the smallest business has a lot to keep safe because they are often victims of identity thefts, online fraud, or even stealing data and blackmailing the CEOs and managers with it.
Stolen documents are easy to be changed or manipulated. And yes, we don’t even want to think about it, but it often turns out the competition has something to do with it.
3. Always update the devices you use
Every update means there are several improvements, including safety and security. For any app you are using, you need to update it. It takes a few minutes to do that and will save you a lot of work and money. Most of the time, developers can detect the vulnerable points themselves, so they release a new update for your app, software, or operating system. It’s really boring, but it’s absolutely worth the time investment.
4. Check on your employees regularly
There are many examples of sharing valuable and sensitive information, getting it outside the company, or letting someone attack the whole system. Sometimes people aren’t even aware of it, since they naively clicked on some link, or downloaded something to the computer. But, sometimes, some people are doing it on purpose, especially if they want to work for the competition. So, regular monitoring of their activities won’t harm anyone. Even if you think it’s unethical, think about the damage that only one piece of data can cause, if it’s in the wrong hands.
5. Limited access is everything
There is no need for all the employees to have an access to everything. Give them only the access they need. There is so much data they won’t even use, ever, but they can accidentally leak it, or send it somewhere by mistake. We don’t even want to think about the scenarios when it’s done on purpose, and that you could have saved it, by simply limiting the access only to what they need.
6. Use a secure internet
Especially your wifi connection. Make sure you have a public option for the guests, and a private one, that is limited only to the employees. Even though it seems quite unlikely that someone will try to attack you through the wifi, you can’t simply ignore the fact that it can happen.
7. Secure the email
Most of the cyberattacks come from spam mails. Sometimes, employees aren’t careful enough, and they open and click everything they receive. And we must admit that recently, this method was brought to perfection, so even the experienced workers can oversee the issue.
Why do you have to do all these things?
We suppose that you appreciate your business and you value the labor and effort invested in it. Cyber attackers won’t spare you. If you are an easy target, and you practically let them into the system, they will do everything they can to mess things up, steal the important data, and even ruin your business. Investing in proper protection can be pretty expensive, but can you imagine losing everything you’ve been fighting for recently? It’s not the most pleasant thing to think about for sure.
It doesn’t take a lot to secure your IT systems, especially if you have an office and a lot of people working for you. But even if you run the company from home, you still need to take care of the things we mentioned in this article.
In the end, we can conclude that there is nothing better than proper cyber protection. Use some of the services that offer this type of security, but also make sure you improve the cyber safety discipline among your employees. We are sure it’s worth the money and effort, so don’t skip on it.
