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You might believe that your small size will keep you safe – but the data says otherwise.
In almost half of all the cyber breaches that have occurred, a small business was the target. Consider these stats reported in Verizon’s Data Breach Report and Forbes:
The truth is that you’re probably not doing enough to protect yourself. You make an easy target for that cybercriminals. According to the 2019 Shred It Protection Report:
Effective cybersecurity comes down to a set of best practices and a few key technologies. With the right resources and attention, you can minimize the threat that cybercriminals pose to your small business:
Antivirus software is used in conjunction with a firewall to provide defense against malware, adware, and spyware. Each of these cybercriminal tactics has the potential to do immense damage to internal processes and a company’s reputation. The job of antivirus software is to spot, block, and isolate intrusive, malicious applications so they can’t do damage to your data and legitimate software.
Antivirus is installed to protect at the user level, known as endpoint protection, and is designed to detect and block a virus or malware from taking root on a user’s computer, or worse, accessing a network to which the user is connected.
Your firewall is your first line of defense for keeping your information safe. A firewall is a particular type of solution that maintains the security of your network. It blocks unauthorized users from gaining access to your data. Firewalls are deployed via hardware, software, or a combination of the two.
Two-Factor Authentication is a great way to add an extra layer of protection to the existing system and account logins. By requiring a second piece of information like a randomly-generated numerical code sent by text message, you’re better able to make sure that the person using your employee’s login credentials is actually who they say they are. Biometrics like fingerprints, voice, or even iris scans are also options, as are physical objects like keycards.
In layman’s terms, encrypted data is formatted in a secret code that would be meaningless if intercepted. It is one of the most efficient ways to secure a database given that decryption can only occur through a key, which is essentially a “secret password”. In this case, there is a need for updated encryption software to make sure that private information is only accessible through the database program.
Software updates are not only to improve the functionality of the software; they also serve as a patch for recently identified vulnerabilities that can be exploited by hackers. Your IT company can handle the management of these updates to make sure that not a single one is ever skipped or delayed.
If you want your desktop files backed up, it’s your responsibility to make sure your cloud is doing so automatically. You must have a backup copy of your data if it’s stolen or accidentally deleted.
Develop a Business Continuity & Disaster Recovery policy that specifies…
Backup to both an external drive in your office and a remote, secure, online data center. Set backups to occur automatically. And make sure your backup systems are encrypted.
The best way is to ask for help – Nexgentec will implement robust security measures for your small business, deploying security devices like firewalls, patching, antivirus software updates, intrusion and gateway protection, to name a few.
Furthermore, we will support your cybersecurity and network security processes and practices, by implementing two-factor authentication, employee security training, and password reset policies for your company.
Like this article? Check out our blog to learn more about small business cybersecurity methods.