Contrary to what you’d read in the headlines, the modern cyber threat landscape is surprisingly egalitarian. For every data breach with millions of exposed records and equally high damage estimates, there are countless attacks targeting – and often crippling – small businesses.
SMB owners don’t have the luxury of being too big to fail. However, they have the means to establish a formidable cybersecurity defense resistant to any attack. Here are the precautions to follow if you want to create such a defense.
Assess Potential Threats & Vulnerabilities
A successful cybersecurity strategy hinges on complete and timely information. What data does your business depend on and collect? Where is it stored? Which devices are part of your networks? What access policies are in place? Do you have a disaster plan in case of a data breach or other serious cyberattack? Having clear and current answers to these questions lets you shore up vulnerabilities and plan ahead.
Keep Devices Updated
Ensuring that devices use only the latest OS and program versions isn’t a cure-all. Still, it’s easy to enforce and a valuable safety measure. It prevents attackers from accessing your network via known exploits and happens automatically once you set it up. Mandating employees only to use work-issued devices and approved software to conduct business minimizes the potential attack area.
Use Firewalls
Firewalls are excellent defense tools that protect hardware and software from harmful incoming and outgoing traffic. They can stop malware before it infiltrates a system or prevents careless employees from accessing blacklisted websites.
Implement Robust Access Policies
Giving everyone full access to sensitive files like customer information, patents, or marketing campaigns for upcoming products is irresponsible. Comprehensive access controls with a Zero-Trust policy ensure employees can do their jobs without issue but can’t compromise data they have no need or right to interact with.
Enforce Strong Password Usage
Misplaced, simple, and duplicate passwords are to blame for far too many successful cyberattacks. Business password managers eliminate the threat by supplying complex and unique passwords for as many accounts as employees need.
They store these passwords securely in encrypted vaults while allowing users to sync account details across devices or fill login details in automatically and securely. Competent password managers also offer multi-factor authentication to prevent compromised or stolen credentials from endangering associated accounts.
Invest in Employee Training
Advanced, multilayered cybersecurity measures are still easy to bypass if hackers can exploit your poorly-trained workforce. The problem is common – studies estimate that the vast majority of data breaches happen due to human error. While individually accountable, it’s unfair to shift the blame entirely on employees if the company doesn’t have up-to-date policies nor offers training opportunities that improve employees’ competencies in recognizing and avoiding threats.
Encrypt & Back Up Crucial Data
No prevention strategy guarantees 100% protection. However, some safeguards make recovery less painful. Encrypting important files makes their contents unreadable and, therefore, useless even if someone steals them from your network.
Backups speed up disaster recovery and make your business less susceptible to ransomware attacks. Various effective backup strategies exist. Whichever you go for, make sure you regularly update the backups while keeping at least one offsite and offline.
Secure Remote Connections with a VPN
Small businesses aren’t exempt from the WFH trend, which also comes with new cybersecurity challenges. While the pros outweigh the cons, employees need to exercise caution when accessing company resources, especially through vulnerable networks.
Business VPNs mitigate connection insecurities through encrypted tunnels. Protection extends to the entire network, so users are secure whether browsing the web or exchanging confidential information with coworkers. Businesses that cater to a global audience can also take advantage of a VPN’s worldwide server selection to assess their performance and accessibility in different markets. Though performance and speed can differ from provider to provider, it’s good to evaluate market options, and sources like the VPN comparison table make this easier.
Conclusion
The steady increase in cyber incidents and increasing sophistication of AI-fueled attacks make it abundantly clear that cybersecurity is neither a luxury nor a nice-to-have. It’s a core part of any business’s survival and growth strategy. Treat it as such to minimize risks and secure your small business’s uninterrupted growth.