There isn’t a business out there that doesn’t dread the day their security is breached. A cyber attack could do some serious to a damage and even has the potential to end it. Fortunately, there are some things that you can do to protect your small- to medium-sized business from being attacked. Here are five things in particular that you should try:

Set up a strong firewall
One of the easiest things that you can do to protect your small business from cyber attacks is to set up a strong firewall. This gives you an extra layer of protection against cybercriminals. Besides the basic external firewall, you may want to install an internal firewall for some extra protection. If you have employees who work from home or work remotely, ensure that they have firewalls installed on their networks. It’s best for you to provide the software and support to make it easy for them.

Train employees on network security policies
Employees who work at SMBs often have blurry job descriptions. This means that everyone needs to be trained about your network security policies. Technology, software, and policies are always changing as cybercriminals find other ways to breach walls. Therefore, you’ll need to regularly update these policies and ensure that employees are always aware of the changes. Make sure every employee knows that they have a personal obligation to comply with policies and have them sign a document stating that they have been informed and understand the repercussions of failing to comply.

Implement safe password practices
No one likes being forced to change their password every few months. However, more than 6 out of 10 data breaches occur because passwords are stolen, weak, or lost. More than half of small business with password policies fail to actually enforce them. If you want to protect your company’s data, you’ll have to make a point of implementing safe password practices. Teach your employees how to create strong passwords and ensure that they change them every 90 days.

Ensure that data is regularly backed up
Although you can certainly take measures to prevent cyber attacks, it’s impossible for you to be completely invulnerable. In the case that your walls get breached despite your precautions, it’s important for you to ensure that all your data is regularly backed up. Word processing documents, spreadsheets, databases, financial files, human resources files, and accounts payable/receivable files should all be stored on extra drives and on the cloud. Make sure that they are stored in a fire and flood-resistant location. Check your backups regularly to ensure that your data is safe in the worst case scenario.

Invest in anti-malware software
Unfortunately, not all employees are tech savvy and know how to avoid phishing emails. You may want to invest in anti-malware software to keep malware from being installed on a computer in your network. This is a pretty basic but effective way to protect your small business.

Jake Ciber

Jack of all trades... master of none... ABL... Always Be Learning! I love what I do and I love helping people.

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