A lot of modern small businesses use Web-based technology and tools to carry out their day-to-day functions. Whether it is conducting long-distance conferences, advertising, buying and selling, researching, identifying new markets, communicating with customers and suppliers, and even conducting banking transactions, the Internet and the Cloud have become integral to the smooth functioning of small businesses.While physical embezzlement in offices can be brought under control with the help of technological aids and state-of-art security cameras, the virtual world is a different ball game. The Internet may be a boon, but it also has its fair share of weaknesses. Along with its several benefits, there are many risks involved which are only growing by the day. Several small businesses fall prey to cyber-attacks due to loopholes in their cyber security measures.
1. The Possible Threats
As a business owner, it is your legal and ethical obligation to safeguard sensitive business information. It could be customer records, employee information, intellectual property documents as well as the financials. Assess the potential online security threats associated with your business and what the repercussions are should your cyber-security be compromised. Furthermore, you should try and identify the different ways hackers and malware can access your sensitive data.If you do not take security of your business seriously, don't be surprised if your company is crippled by a breach some time down the line.
2. Develop A Written Security Policy
Come up with a comprehensive guideline that clearly defines what the organization's sensitive data is, and which articulates the procedures related to the handling of that information. It should specify the type of applications one should install on the system, who has the access to the information, and the degree of the access. Is it full or limited? What is the precise procedure to follow in case of a data breach? Since employees frequently store sensitive business data on their personal devices, the policy should also clarify the kind of emails one should send out and those permitted into the system. Moreover, it should define how to protect the data on those gadgets using passwords. Furthermore, the cyber security policy should cover social media, which exposes startups to breaches, in particular through click-baits.
3. Introduce A Minimum User Data Practice
The more online data a team handles, the higher its chances of getting exposed to cyber-attacks. Therefore, try as much as possible to limit the amount of information you collect. As a safe measure, limit your data collection and retaining to vital information that your business needs. Similarly, avoid collecting non-mandatory data. Here, you should keep a close eye on social media platforms as users tend to click and like shareable links, which might compromise your security system.
4. Train Your Employees On Cyber Security
Your staff frequently interact with the system, which means they are a highly likely source of cyber-security breaches. They must, therefore, clearly understand what the company policy and procedures concerning the handling of business information are. Putting in place a plan to regularly train employees on internet safety and importance of maintaining data confidentiality would serve in the best interest of startups. The training manual should cover how to select strong and secure passwords, how to identify and handle unwanted emails, the importance of backing up data and how to backup regularly. Lastly, encourage employees to be vocal and free to point out any strange developments on their devices.
5. Consider Data Safeguards And Encryption
Source for the best anti-virus and anti-malware protections that can help to revamp your cyber-security efforts. Such applications will encrypt your sensitive material like financial records, payment information, passwords, customer details and employee info. Besides, they can detect and alert you of an impending threat, enabling you to take swift preventative action. Also, ensure that your system has a strong, secure password that restricts access to only authorized personnel. A safe password is one that uses alpha-numeric characters. The good news is that there are integrated solutions, which provide the convenience of managing your security plans through a single console.
6. Adopt Data Security Best Practices
Even with the best cyber-security resources in the universe, a company's data systems can still get breached in one split second of a security lapse. It is, therefore, prudent to adopt best practices when it comes to data handling. For starters, encourage employees to change their passwords once or twice a month. They should also avoid leaving their computers unattended while in the "logged-in" state. The company on its part should ensure that the information system security remains up-to-date at all times. Doing so might involve conducting scheduled security risk assessment exercises, as well as conducting frequent system upgrades. Additionally, the startup should have secure and reliable data destruction and IT asset disposition solutions, and only engage business stakeholders who value and respect the confidentiality of data.
7. Partner With IT Security Firms
If all these tips seem too daunting, then the best shot for a startups to guarantee the safety of their critical data, is by working together with experienced security firms. A word of caution, though: carefully screen the companies to ascertain that they have a good track record, experience and credible references within the IT spectrum.
8. Use Complex Passwords
Almost every computer and Web-based application requires a key for accessing it. Whether it is the answers to security questions or the passwords, make sure you create complex ones to make it difficult for hackers to crack them.For answers to security questions, consider translating them into another language using free online translations tools. This may make them unpredictable and difficult to decipher, and less susceptible to social engineering.Using space before and/or after your passwords is also a good idea to throw the hacker off. That way, even if you write your password down, it would be safe as only you would know that it also needs a space at the front/end. Using a combination of upper and lower cases also helps, apart from using alphanumeric characters and symbols.
9. Ignore Suspicious Emails
Make it a habit to never open or reply to suspicious-looking emails even if they appear to be from a known sender. Even if you do open the email, do not click on suspicious links or download attachments. Doing so may make you a victim of online financial and identity theft, including ‘phishing scams.Phishing emails appear to come from trustworthy senders, such as a bank or someone you may have done business with. Through it, the hacker attempts to acquire your private and financial data like bank account details and credit card numbers.For further security, make sure you change your email password every 60 – 90 days. Additionally, refrain from using the same password for different email accounts and never leave your password written down.
10. Take Regular Back-up
Every week, either backup your data to an external hard drive or the cloud yourself, or schedule automated backups to ensure that your information is stored safely.That way, even if your systems are compromised, you still have your information safe with you.
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