Many small business owners think they aren’t as susceptible to a cybersecurity threat as a large corporation but the opposite is actually true. Large businesses have the money to implement more sophisticated security measures and they also have the funds to recover much more quickly when they are attacked. Take a look at these statistics from Small Business Trends:
- 43 percent of cyber attacks target small business.
- Only 14 percent of small businesses rate their ability to mitigate cyber risks, vulnerabilities and attacks as highly effective.
- 60 percent of small companies go out of business within six months of a cyber attack.
- 48 percent of data security breaches are caused by acts of malicious intent. Human error or system failure account for the rest.
To save yourself, here are 3 ways you can improve your small business cybersecurity:
Update Your Software: Outdated software can be much more vulnerable to new efforts to break through to a small business. Make sure that you are regularly updating your software, including your security software. You’ll also want to make sure that any employees that use their mobile deviced for work are using the most updated apps and operating systems.
Create Regular Backups: If something should happen, you want to make sure you have the most current information from your computers AND your website. Make sure you create regular backups and store the copies somewhere other than your hard drive. There are many great cloud-based backup applications such as Carbonite and Mozy. You should also back up your website regularly. There are many great programs available but you should also work with a hosting company that provides extra security protocols.
Only Provide Access Needed: It might seem easier to just give everyone access – even to those you trust – but it’s important that you only provide the access that’s actually needed. No one should be allowed to access information that isn’t required to do their job this includes something so simple as using a company phone to look up something personal online. Also, make sure that your staff doesn’t share passwords with other team members.