Most small business owners are cautious with their resources, carefully investing in assets that bring them the best bang for their buck. When it comes to keeping their enterprise safe from online predators, however, many don’t employ the cybersecurity best practices advised by IT security experts. If you’re looking for cybersecurity best practices for your small business, check out the solutions listed below.
Cybersecurity best practices for small businesses
As with every other SMB decision, implementing cybersecurity best practices begins with a well-thought-out strategy. In this case, consider three prime functions for your strategy:
Assessment
A thorough cybersecurity-focused search will flush out vulnerabilities throughout the enterprise of every small business owner.
- Software scans
In this case, you’re scanning to ensure all your programs are up-to-date in both their functions and their security systems. Dedicated security programming should always be current and configured to match your company’s particular digital profile.
- Passwords
Surprisingly, the most popular password in the U.S. is “123456;” how many of your workers are using it to access your corporate files? Weak passwords are often the ticket for cybercriminals to enter into SMB systems. All of your workers should have complex passwords (including upper and lower case letters, numbers and symbols). To be genuinely cutting-edge, your digital access options should also have multi-factored authentications that add images or other access elements.
Implementation
Once you’ve nailed down the substance and strategy of your cybersecurity best practices, embed them in your corporate culture.
- Policies
Document the cybersecurity best practices for your small business into formal policy statements and include their associated practices as well. A documented statement of how to keep the company secure will be the foundation for next steps.
- Training
Your workers are both your best cybersecurity defense force and your company’s most vulnerable weakness. If they are fully engaged with the cybersecurity aspects of their work, they can detect or prevent attacks. If they don’t buy into the cybersecurity project, then their lax practices could leave your enterprise open to attacks from unexpected – and undefended – portals. Invest in training activities to ensure that everyone understands the policies and pursues best practices in daily business transactions.
Oversight
Small business owners often stop short of a comprehensive cybersecurity best practices strategy by failing to plan for the future. However, if the statistics are correct, then your company could be hacked in the near future. Being prepared to stay in business despite these threats is your goal as a small business owner.
- Backup your data
The ransomware phenomena demonstrate how critical it is to maintain an accurate copy of company records in the event the main systems go down. While some SMBs can maintain this resource in-house, most are better served by outsourcing it to a managed services provider (MSP). If/when your system is invaded, you’ll have all the data you need to stay in business even while you’re defending your digital presence.
- Plan to recover
Backups are also critical to the recovery process that happens after an attack occurs. Hacks cause damage in many ways, including slowing or stopping productivity while it is occurring and then by interfering with full functioning after it is defeated. Disaster recovery strategies should include maintaining work opportunities despite an attack and reducing potential damages afterward.
As a small business owner, you are managing the resources that are critical to your future success. Having a well-rounded strategy that includes cybersecurity best practices is often the wisest investment you can make.
