Small to medium size businesses all too often make the mistake of thinking cybercriminals are not interested in them; after all, there are many larger fish in the sea, right?
Contrary to what many people think, cyberattacks are not the most prominent among government organizations and big business. These targets offer the prospect of being highly lucrative, but not surprisingly, they are among the most difficult to hack.
Reality check: most hackers look for the low hanging fruit as prime targets, or more to the point — small businesses. Why? They often represent the best of both worlds — access to money and data. And the added draw for hackers: they tend to have very poor defenses.
Most cybercriminals who run up against bothersome obstacles simply move on to seek out easier targets with fewer obstacles to navigate. And the selection is vast.
Sadly, cybercriminals continue to evolve their tools and tactics as they learn new techniques to take small business owners off guard. That’s why staying one step ahead with the most current strategies and technologies is the best possible action you can take.
Recommended Cybersecurity Strategies
- Cloud security. Cloud-based systems are highly accessible, cost-effective, and efficient, but they are not all created equal. Choose cloud platforms and applications that offer the highest level of security available and have built-in safeguards to protect against weaknesses.
- Network security. Preventing unauthorized use and misuse of your computer network is the goal of network security. Here’s a basic step and one of the most important: restrict access to your Wi-Fi network with a very strong password. You will still need to anticipate and guard against specific types of attacks, including internal threats.
- VPNs and firewalls. Consider investing in security products like virtual private networks (VPNs) and firewalls. These defense lines can’t prevent all types of attacks, but they can be highly effective when implemented correctly.
- Updates and upgrades. One of the best strategies you can use to improve your business’s cybersecurity is to commit to regular updating of the technological tools you use. Programmers and developers know to watch out for new threats, and when they find one, typically issue a patch to guard against it. But, to take advantage of this patch, you have to actually install it. It’s sad but true that many businesses do not consistently update their devices and software, leaving them exposed to attack.
- Data backups. Multiple backups are recommended for your business data. Then, if you’re ever the victim of a ransomware attack, a natural disaster, or some other event that restricts your ability to access your data, you’ll have a backup plan. Without it, you could be sunk.
- Segmented / limited access. Limiting employee access to business systems and data owned by your company is simply smart. While we might prefer to think cyberthreats originate from malicious external hackers, a surprising percentage of threats come from inside an organization. If tight control is maintained over access, it will help to mitigate any damage by a hostile user or a compromised account.
- Employee training. Most system breaches don’t come from criminal hacking; rather from poor decisions made by employees, such as, falling for a phishing scam, volunteering login information due to social engineering, or choosing a weak password. The best, most obvious strategy here is to spend more time training your employees. Teach them about common scams and educate them on best practices for cybersecurity.
- Security culture. Build and sustain a security-conscious culture within your organization. Cybersecurity should be a high priority, if not the highest, since a single hack could cost the business millions. All departments should be accountable, not just IT. Working together will better ensure a safer working environment.
Make the Investment that Pays
Cybersecurity is an investment that pays you back many times over. You cannot afford to wait until your company is violated by a cybercriminal. It’s simply common sense to be proactive when it comes to cybersecurity.
Implementing strong cybersecurity strategies such as cloud security, network security, VPNs, regular updates and upgrades, data backups, limited access controls, employee training, and fostering a security-conscious culture are necessary steps in safeguarding your business against cyber threats.
Remember, cybersecurity is not a luxury but a necessity. It’s an investment that pays by protecting your company from potentially devastating cyberattacks. Don’t wait until it’s too late.
Be proactive, prioritize cybersecurity, and safeguard the future of your business.