Small business owners often believe that they don’t have much to worry about hackers and cybercriminals. After all, these are running after large-scale organizations and brands. That, however, is a myth. In recent years, companies of all sizes have suffered breaches and cybersecurity attacks from all corners of the globe. From a basic security breach into the IP cameras and DVRs, to hacking accounts, networks, and IT resources, hackers are doing everything to get access to data and infiltrate systems. Your small business needs to care about cybersecurity, and below is a quick overview of things that matter.
Beyond financial losses
The immediate consequence of a security breach often loss of revenue. For large corporations, it also means being liable for paying massive fines and penalties. The same rules also apply for smaller companies, and the consequences are often more severe. For instance, does your company really have the resources to hire digital forensic experts? Do you have cybersecurity policies and practices in place to prove that your business is not at fault? The resources required to investigate a security breach are often not available to startups and new brands. Not to forget, you may have to deal legal cases, and the damage to repute may take years to recover.
How to make the most of cybersecurity practices?
A few standard practices go a long way in enhancing cybersecurity measures.
- Create a policy on cybersecurity and involve everyone. While the top management and CEO may have to take the blame for a breach, but when it comes to practice, everyone has to be involved.
- Use network protection methods. From encrypting your Wi-Fi networks and using firewalls, to network segmentation and installing antivirus software, there are diverse ways to increase protection of your IT & network resources.
- Train employees on user accounts and passwords. Employees are often the weakest link in cybersecurity, primarily because they don’t always adhere to the dos and don’ts. Ask employees to change default IDs and passwords, and advise them on creating strong passwords and better browsing practices.
- Test your systems. You can consider hiring an ethical hacker for the purpose, or develop your own test scans, but your network, apps, software and other programs have to be tested for vulnerabilities. Hackers are smart in their approach, so you need to be smarter.
Also, don’t miss on updating your software, firmware and apps on a regular basis, and if there is any anomaly in the system, deal with that immediately.
