The Internet has become essential for modern-day businesses. With the ability to reach thousands, it opens up an entirely new opportunity for growth for even local businesses. E-commerce has overtaken traditional brick-and-mortar shopping and become a central hub for consumers across the globe. It offers consumers the convenience of being able to shop in the comfort of their homes. Unfortunately, the same convenience consumers love E-commerce for is also what introduces vulnerabilities that can be exploited by cybercriminals.
This has made cybersecurity a paramount concern for both small and medium-sized businesses. There are many risks associated with cyberattacks. Unfortunately, because these organizations don’t have big budgets, they are oftentimes left increasingly vulnerable to serious and damaging attacks. www.senseon.io provides Cybersecurity Solutions at a reasonable price.
Below, you will learn how cybersecurity can help both small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) successfully protect themselves against cyberattacks that can cause significant damage to their operations.
1. Know The Data You Have Access To
It’s important to be aware of exactly what data you have access to. You may be thinking about how to secure the data from hackers, but you can also have your physical hardware stolen. Because of this, you need your entire workforce to understand how important the data is and that they need to be cautious when they are out of the workplace. If employees get laptops, tablets, or phones stolen, it can put the company at risk.
2. Use a Password Manager
Using a password manager should be common practice among everyone including consumers and businesses alike. There is no way you can come up with strong passwords and remember them for all of your accounts. Because of this, you need a management tool that can securely store your passwords for you. This is where password managers come into play. A password manager can help your employees generate unique usernames and passwords for all of their devices and accounts. This will allow them to create passwords strong enough to avoid being subject to brute forcing. Also, you want to have a company-wide policy that requires users to change their passwords at routine intervals.
3. Encrypt and Backup Sensitive Data
Any data needs to be backed up securely. You want your data to be backed up somewhere secure so you aren’t vulnerable to a ransomware attack. It’s only going to be secure if your data is encrypted. You need to encrypt everything from the devices to the drives and your backup files. You also want to ensure you are encrypting all of the emails that contain any sensitive information.
4. Separate Sensitive Data From Public Domain
All of the data a business collects from customers is sensitive. This can be something as simple as names and addresses. It can also include very sensitive information like social security numbers and other personally identifying details. You want to do everything possible to protect this data from being exposed. If you suffer a breach, you’ll find it very difficult to recover your reputation.
There are certain ways you can do this. For one, you can do so by separating your database. Another thing you can do is separate your server to store all of your sensitive information. However, you don’t have to be a technical expert to achieve this. You can also do it by leveraging passwords and encryption keys. Also, you can separate the data based on who within your organization should be able to access it. After all, you don’t want to give the keys to the kingdom to every employee. Not every employee needs access to all of the data.
5. Update The Devices
One of the most important things you need to do to make certain that your network and devices are secure is by updating all of the devices on your network. You need to continually update everything on your network. Anything connected to the Internet could be deemed to be vulnerable. Therefore, you want to ensure you have the right software including anti-virus and anti-malware software to protect your device. You also want to ensure you are continually updating all of your devices to install the latest security patches. You should also be doing the same thing for the software on these devices. Keeping your device updated can help mitigate the risk of getting hacked.
6. Consider Connections
There is a lot to think about when it comes to protecting yourself from cyber threats. One that isn’t discussed enough is who you connect with across social media. For one, you don’t want to post anything that you don’t want out there. You also don’t want to connect with people and give them access to sensitive data that can be used against you.
It’s also important to look at your digital footprint. You want your social media accounts to be segregated. Try to avoid connecting one to the other. Otherwise, if one of the accounts gets hacked, all of them will get hacked simultaneously. Keeping them separate makes it more difficult to gain access to all of them.
7. Monitor Your Network
You want to ensure you are monitoring your network whenever possible. A user’s activity is typically monitored for suspicious behaviour. Because of this, you want to do the same thing. This is a good thing to do when you are worried about the safety of your network and the devices on it. You can easily do this by routinely scanning your network for malware. You can also do it by having anti-virus software installed on your PC. You can do it manually if you have the technical know-how.
8. Educate All Of Your Employees
You need to be certain that you are conducting routine cybersecurity awareness checks for your employees. You want your employees to understand how important it is to secure the data and some of the best practices to do so properly. Always come up with a clear set of defined rules they have to follow. Implement them with training videos and policies.
9. Third-Parties
You need to ensure you are using third parties that are both safe and secure. These can introduce vulnerabilities if you don’t do your due diligence before choosing to work with them. Check their privacy policies, look at their encryption grading, and see what security measures they use to protect your sensitive data.
10. Don’t Mix Work and Pleasure
You want to inform your employees what the rules are when it comes to social media. You’ll find some companies don’t allow employees to use it during work hours. Some allow them to use it, but not during scheduled work hours. Ensure your employees aren’t using work devices for their personal life. Likewise, you don’t want to keep sensitive or private business information on a device that is frequently shared with family.
A small and medium-sized business needs to understand how important cybersecurity is. There are things you can do to mitigate the risk of becoming a victim of cybersecurity. While it’s increasingly difficult for smaller companies with lesser budgets, there are things you can do to even out the playing field. Use the tips above and you can do your best to protect your business in today’s increasingly connected world.
