We all agree that in the today’s scenarios no business ” Big or Small ” can be counted safe from security breaches. Renowned companies are preferred targets for hackers but small businesses face security issues too. It is always suggested to be steady on alert and keep yourself updated regarding business security methods.
If we talk about Small businesses there is more and more victims of data breaching. According to experts, these conditions arise as they are not updated regarding security controls or we can say they are not yet understand what does security controls means to their business. There are some precautionary measures you can take to protect your small business.
Provide the best training to your employees
It is well known that a major cause of data breaching ” Human Factor ” is employees in a small and mid-size business. This is all because of a lack of awareness regarding data security.
Employees usually make innocent mistakes as they are not aware how hackers operate. Now to minimize the possibility of data theft, employee education must play an important role within the organizations/companies .
These days for small businesses, Social engineering stand as a particular threat. Hackers post a link as a trusted source to get hold of confidential data. When employees click on that particular link a virus is installed on their computer. This is how they get all the confidential data.
Here is what you need to make sure that your your employee aware of:
Employees must know that:
- Before giving any confidential information, they should check the legitimacy of the source. Only if the website holds a SLT certificate it is safe to provide details.
- They should not open attachments coming from unknown people.
- They should always steer clear of suspicious links coming through online ads, websites and emails.
Sensitive data should be deleted appropriately
While deleting sensitive data, be very cautious. Before recycling, you should shred documents with confidential information. Eliminate all of your confidential data from electronic devices such as tablets, storage hardware, computers and smartphones before disposing of the devices.
Protect your data using strong passwords
It’s been said that hackers attack or crack passwords to get a hold on potential data. So to protect your devices like business computers, mobiles, networks and accounts, the employees should change the default password to a strong one. A complex password is where a variety of characters are used. The password should be changed once in every quarter at least.
Prefer encryption of data
When information is encoded it is known to be encrypted. No matter whether the information is stored on a device or cloud or being transferred through the internet, if encrypted, the information can only be decoded by a person or computer having the proper key.
Small business should go for systems having a built-in encryption option as you simply need to activate it and your data is secured.
Access to business devices should only be for authorized employees
You should create a particular user account for each employee. This will help restrict access to your business computer devices. It is also essential to limit the network access for computer devices in or around your location.
Cyber criminals attacking small business TOO
We are aware that big cyber crime groups are dangerous because such criminals prefer attacking small businesses, as they find it easier to get hold off identities and passwords. With the help of these things, they commit fraud and use your credit cards or banking details and make transactions.
So, it is better to keep your systems secure with high security and password protected. None of the employees should give their access even to any co-workers. Ensure your employees only input confidential data on websites that have STL certificates.
Maintain security on all mobile devices
If your employee uses mobile devices to access company information while being at work or after work then it is sure that your business confidentiality is more vulnerable. Most of the companies allow their employees to use their own device at work which increases the exposure to malware and many other issues related to security.
It is better not to access business data on a personal device and to only access it on the official device which is equipped with cyber security tools.
Authenticate third party security controls
It is well known that businesses depend on third party vendors for many of their work such as credit card processing, payroll, sometimes even to supervise security functions. Depending on which third party, there could be risks… If breaching occurs from the third party’s end then your confidential data may be compromised.
Hence, before you decide with any third party, it is essential to appropriately check their security standards. Always go for vendors:
- Ensuring updated security policies and procedures.
- Who on regular intervals back up confidential data on hard drive besides cloud.
- Who go for internal audits on a routine based.
- Who can train employees regarding complete data security.
To sum it up, Maintaining the above security measures and secure your data in the best possible way can help you mitigate cyber attacks and even prevent most of them. A small negligence can create a big loss for your business.