As a small or home based business, you have many plates that you need to keep spinning. You need to manage the companies you outsource to, deal with stock and inventory, tweak your website and blog and a million other things. But one thing that you shouldn’t overlook is your security. Just because you’re a small or home-based business doesn’t mean criminals won’t target you, but managing your cybersecurity can feel daunting as a small business owner. While criminals can steal stock, money and office equipment, many companies are targeted online these days in the form of rinsed bank accounts, stolen data and fraud. Having the right online security systems in place will help you to save time, money and even your business’ reputation- things like stolen customer data leading to fraud, for example, can be challenging to overcome. Keep in mind the information below to reduce your chances of becoming a victim of cybercrime in your business.
Get your head in the cloud
Using cloud-based solutions is an effective way to keep your information safe. Cloud systems are encrypted for safety and means that instead of being stored on a hard drive that you own your information is stored online. This is helpful as if your physical computers are stolen; there’s no sensitive information stored on them. Viruses attacking your computer will also come up blank since the information isn’t stored here. Cloud backup and storage has a variety of uses; you can use it for everything from saving files to email archive, the best thing to do is think about what sort of systems are best suited to the company you run. Shop around different cloud-based providers and see what they’re able to offer you and at what price. Visit charlesit.com for an example of a company that can run everything on your behalf making security simple.
Criminals can be good at guessing
It’s quite scary to think of, but in lots of cases, criminals can guess passwords or use a password guesser program to crack them quickly. If you look at most common passwords used, you’ll find that many of us tend to steer towards the same kinds of words and number combinations so if others commonly use yours, then chances are, criminals will easily be able to get in. Make your passwords long and complicated. Use a combination of upper and lowercase letters and numbers. Avoid commonly used words and sequences in any form, repeating patterns and any personal information such as pets, kids names or other details that criminals might be able to find on social media sites.
Consider your backup options
No one wants to think about worst-case scenarios, your business is something you’ll have poured your heart and soul into and so failure isn’t an option. However, if you do happen to be broken into or experience a cyber attack, you’ll of course want a backup plan. Having the right business insurance in place means that you won’t be left out of pocket if something does happen to your business. Always be sure to do your research, make sure you have the right insurance for your business and read the small print so you know exactly what it is you’re covered against.
You might have lots to do as a small business owner, but be sure to keep your venture safe from crime. It could cause your venture to fail before it’s even off the ground.
