In today's digital landscape, targeted cyberattacks of small to medium businesses are increasing. Safeguarding your company, your employees, and your customers must be a top priority. Implementing effective security practices will help protect your valuable data and ensure business continuity. The following are security practices that small to medium businesses should implement to decrease their vulnerability to cyber-attacks:
Create Cybersecurity Policies: Developing clear and comprehensive cybersecurity policies is the first step towards protecting your business. These policies will outline employee expectations by documenting company policies, so they are understood and accepted by all employees. Policies should cover onboarding and offboarding procedures, system access, mobile device management, and ongoing employee training as a starting point. Many times, it is beneficial to engage the expertise of an outsourced IT department, or a security consultant who have previous experience developing policies and will ensure policies are well-documented, complete, and understood by all.
Data Backup: Reliable data backups are crucial for business resilience. Your backup strategy should include both local and cloud storage components. It is also vital to determine the time it will take to restore backups to a working state, as this will ensure proper steps are documented and minimize downtime in the event of an attack. While preventing all problems is unrealistic, understanding restoration time versus the cost of the backup solution is vital to mitigate potential frustrations and set proper recovery expectations.
Multi-Factor Authentication: Multi-factor authentication adds a critical layer of protection to your systems. Requiring users to provide multiple forms of identification to gain access is the single most effective tool for reducing unauthorized access.
Mobile Security: As business activities increasingly move towards mobile devices, protecting them is as crucial as securing desktop computers and servers. It is important to document mobile device security policies and educate employees on mobile phone security.
Practice Safe Email Protocols: Email remains a common entry point for cyberattacks. Educate your employees on setting secure passwords and recognizing suspicious emails. Establish a system for reporting and preventing the spread of suspicious emails. Additionally, emphasize the importance of safe email practices and create awareness about potential email-based threats.
Employee Education: Educating employees on the best security practices is fundamental to a strong security posture and can significantly enhance security awareness. Well-intentioned individuals may lack awareness of potential online security risks so it is critical to provide regular awareness training and simulated phishing attacks along with updates on current security breaches they may encounter.
Antivirus/Antimalware: While once a minimal requirement, deploying reliable antivirus and antimalware programs is a crucial piece of an expanded security framework and still a key requirement for detecting and preventing phishing attacks and unauthorized access attempts.
Perform System Updates: Ensuring that systems and software updates are applied regularly is a critical layer of protection against emerging threats and known vulnerabilities. Ensuring a regular schedule for testing and applying regular updates and policy for immediately deploying zero-day patches will limit exposure to known threats.
Network Security: Your firewall/router is no longer a set-and-forget device. Now regular software updates, policy reviews and configuration reviews are critical. Regular testing can help identify potential vulnerabilities and ensure your network remains secure.
No business, regardless of its size or the nature of its operations, is immune to cyberattacks. However, proactively establishing the above security practices, will significantly reduce the risk of cyber incidents, safeguard your valuable information, and protect your company, employees, and customers from potential threats and should be a top priority. It is important to act now to establish a secure system that protects what matters most to your business.
If you're ready to discuss your business's security strategy, don't hesitate to contact TTCG today. Let's start a conversation about safeguarding your business.
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