Top 5 Ways to Improve Your CyberSecurity Small Businesses

By- Blog Assist

Data breaches have become a part of daily news. The cases of data breaches are an alarm for the small business to improve their cybersecurity. The frightening situation is if their data finds its way into the hands of some culprits then they can do some severe damage and the loss can't even be imagined. According to a recent survey around 50% of small businesses experience a cyber attack.

A hacker can not only steal your customer data but also your money, employee detail and vendor information. The data breach not only gives you a monetary loss but your relationships with your customers, employees and vendors go on stake. Small businesses are an easy target as they keep a moderate level of security which can be easily breached by hackers.

In this article we will be discussing the best FIVE ways by which you as a small business can improve your cybersecurity.

One of the main reasons for data breach in small businesses is not keeping a strong password.

1. Secure your Networks

Your WiFi can be one of the easiest ways for hackers to access your data. Ask your operator to secure your wifi so that only your employees can use it. Safeguard your internet with a firewall and encrypting information. Trust is one of the pillars to build a business but sometimes that can haunt you too, so if possible, set your wifi in such a manner that your employees don't need a password for the connection.

If you are among one who definitely needs to allow customers to use your wifi then make sure you have a different connection for them. A wifi used by employees shouldn't be shared with customers. Once you do this you enable outsiders to join the business wifi and access the files.

2. Maintain a strong password and change them often

One of the main reasons for data breach in small businesses is not keeping a strong password. Your passwords protect your file and data, so it should be strong enough that no one should be able to crack it. Once you have a password mix up of uppercase and lowercase letters, special symbols and numeric digits then the probability of getting it cracked becomes less, though not zero. Two factor authentication is a must to secure your data and changing passwords weekly should be in routine.

3. Train and monitor employees

Your employees are the one because of whom your business is scaling so it's obvious to make them participate in your small business security plans. You can't offer employees with devices like laptops, tablets etc so create a cybersecurity policy containing the best cybersecurity practices which can be followed by the employees. Train your employees to create a strong password with two – factor authentication for each account and also make them familiar with the protocols they should follow if a data breach occurs. Create a routine of sending weekly computer safety tips to your employees suggesting them various tricks and techniques for keeping their data safe.

4. Update softwares and create backups

Software updates might be time consuming but it's one of the best techniques to avoid data breach.

If the information goes missing or the data gets stolen or the device stops working, the regular backup can act as a saviour in those tough times. The backup of the data in a separate computer or cloud should be part of the daily routine. All the information regarding your business, employees, vendors and customers should have a copy. It's equally important to protect the backup information with a strong password and two – factor authentication.

5. Limit the data access

Ensure that unauthorized people should not have access to your business, then be it your office devices or wifi connections. Establish policies having guidelines on how employees should protect identifiable information and other sensitive data.The employees should be well aware of the consequences they can face if they fail to follow business cybersecurity policies.

Employees at different positions should not share their account password etc with each other, for example a marketing guy shouldn't share his account details with a sales person unless required. You can also create unique login credentials for the employees.

Bonus Tip

Identify phishing attacks

Phishing is one of the most common techniques used by hackers to attack on the data and this technique is quite effective. The only ways you can keep your business safe from the attack is by training your employees about these phishing techniques. A click on the link can share all your data with the hacker. Train your employees with all these phishing techniques and ask them to work keeping an open eye.

What can you do right now to avoid Cyber attack ?

1. Change your login credentials.

2. Add two-factor authentications.

3. Generate a strong password.

4. Secure your wifi.

5. Update your software.

6. Use password managing tools.

We hope this article helped you in understanding what you could do as a small business to secure your data.

All the best!

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(Disclaimer: This is a sponsored article and contains some commercial links.)