Cyber-security is a prime concern for all businesses because you hold a lot of sensitive data about your customers. If that data is stolen, the cost to your business is huge and it could even be enough to sink you completely. A lot of small business owners make the mistake of thinking that they are too small to be a target but that is not the case. Small businesses are often bigger targets for that exact reason, they’re easier targets because they do not expect to be attacked. That’s why it is so important that you take the necessary steps to prepare your business for a cyber-attack so you can come out of the other side in a strong position. If you don’t have a process in place, these are some of the steps that you need to take.
Conduct A Security Audit
Before you can do anything else, you need to conduct an audit to find out how secure your business really is, and you might be surprised at the results. You can use penetration testing to see how easy it is to get past your security software. This will help to identify where all of the vulnerabilities are so you can start making updates.
Update Security Systems
Once you have carried out an audit and identified potential weaknesses, you need to upgrade your security systems. It is always a good idea to take the advice of an IT service if you do not have an in-house IT team to manage these upgrades for you.
Put A Disaster Recovery System In Place
Regardless of how well you protect yourself, criminals can always find ways around your security so an attack can happen at any time. That’s why it’s important that you have a plan in place. The most important thing is a disaster recovery system so you can recover all of the lost data immediately. If you do not have a good backup in place, it is so much harder to come back from an attack. Get in touch with managed IT services (like this one at netwize.com) and they can create a backup and a disaster recovery plan for you. It is also important that you have a clear strategy for informing customers of the breach as well because they may be affected if their personal details are stolen.
Train Your Employees
Employee training is so important when trying to reduce the risk of cyber-attacks. Most people don’t realize that a lot of data breaches are attacks of opportunity because employees make simple mistakes. This can be things like using weak passwords or opening malicious emails. That’s why it is so important that you train your employees in good cyber-security practices. This should be a central part of your hiring process for new employees, and you should give everybody a refresher course at least once a year. If you can create a culture of security and avoid these simple mistakes, the risk of cyber-attacks is greatly reduced.
Follow these simple steps and you can protect your business from cyber-attacks, and learn how to deal with them if they do happen.
