Small business owners are dealing & managing many things at the same time. From funding and approaching investors, to gaining client trust and managing aspects like marketing and employee retention, these things often need a hands-on approach. Of course, that’s not the end of it. There is one more critical aspect that needs as much attention – security. With digital transformation becoming a norm and businesses operating in hybrid, complex IT environments, it is necessary to take enough steps towards cybersecurity and think beyond compliance. The consequences of a security breach can be far more complicated and devastating than what appears on the surface.
In this post, we are sharing more the basic things that small businesses can do and follow to ensure cybersecurity.
Start with password protection
No matter whether it is about IP cameras at the workplace, networked devices, or personal laptops being used at work, all products, software and other programs must have strong passwords. Strong passwords prevent brute force attacks and are hard to hack, so hackers cannot create a backdoor or access devices as easily. Secondly, employees must be encouraged to change default details, including usernames, after product has been deployed. Using a password manager, which is often considered to be a useful and low-risk tool, can be handy too.
There are several other ways to ensure password protection. For instance, you can add the lockout feature, or use multifactor authentication.
Focus on malware prevention
There are several different ways to prevent malware attacks. Besides password protection, consider investing in antimalware and antispyware software. Another wise idea is review cybersecurity policies from time to time, and networks and IT environments must be continuously and periodically tested and scanned. For malware prevention, a great tip is to train employees. Your employees are on the forefront of managing IT resources and also the soft targets for hackers and cybercriminals. Make sure that you hire cybersecurity experts, if needed to train your people.
Other pointers
Finally, make the most of other options such as firewalls, network segmentation, and when it comes to devices, create necessary policies, especially if employees have to work from home or their own devices at work. Being as transparent as possible is the best way to handle cybersecurity, so that the consequences or aftermath of a breach can be managed better. Ideally, just do your best to prevent data theft and security breaches in the first place.