According to a study, almost 73 percent of businesses surveyed were not prepared to deal with a cyberattack. Numerous entrepreneurs comply with the ‘it will never happen to me’ concept in terms of hacks and data attacks. However, there are plentiful ways your information is at risk. Rather than laboring under the delusion that this is not something that will happen to your enterprise, it’s time to take action to secure your operations and business.
Educate Your Employees
Some entrepreneurs believe that only IT and management staff must know about cybersecurity. Actually, any employee can create security issues if they are unaware of hackers’ dangerous behaviors and the activities they need to avoid to better protect the firm’s assets. Educating your employees about things like email fraud and other phishing attacks is crucial — in these hacks, attackers send emails with downloadable links that release viruses on your entire network.
Working with a cybersecurity expert is a proactive way to ensure your team is updated on all the risks. Joining an ICC like Haywood Chamber of Commerce to stay up to date with the latest developments in security, marketing, and more is also helpful.
Keep Your Programs Updated
Using the convenience and power of technology is imperative for any small business trying to stay afloat and expand these times. Most enterprises use software programs regularly to get work done or communicate with customers. While these programs can help enhance productivity levels, they can also cause serious issues if they aren’t managed properly. Failing to update software can bring about security troubles, and hackers can use the gaps created by outdated programs to enter your network.
If you always forget to update the programs manually, consider using cloud-based software. This way, your software will update automatically, making your network and tools safer — not to mention how convenient it is for businesses to use anytime, anywhere!
Find the Right Antivirus Software
For business owners, finding the right antivirus software should be the first thing that comes to mind when considering their enterprise’s cybersecurity aspect. There are apps and programs specifically created for businesses with features that are especially advantageous in a professional environment. Unlike plans for home use, these business-based packages usually let you add 20 or more users to your license, which could be extremely beneficial for a growing company.
Many antivirus software also allows you to manage your company’s cybersecurity activity using a single dashboard. From there, you can track the status of your installed licenses and schedule scans and updates.
Have a Recovery Plan
The information kept on your network requires significant protection. If your business gathers large amounts of sensitive data from clients, you are responsible for ensuring this information doesn’t fall into the wrong hands or fall victim to system failures. The proper way to keep this data safe and easy to access is by establishing a cloud-based backup. When you back up your information regularly, you decrease the effect of an unexpected cybersecurity attack or network crash. The beauty of a cloud-based system means your data will be automatically backed up — meaning, you won’t have to deal with the stress of remembering to do it manually.
Most importantly, have a recovery plan ready for every eventuality. A proper recovery plan will have multiple infrastructure protection tiers, handling your data via one interface, and the ability to regularly monitor your data. This plan should also be easy to adopt, reasonably priced and provide a full-service approach to recovering and protecting data. Your best bet is to connect with security experts who are well-versed in the latest security protocols and who can develop a recovery solution that will immediately go into effect should there be an attack or hardware failure.
In a Nutshell
Being extra cautious and taking preventative measures to avoid cyberattacks can help protect your company and your customers’ livelihoods. Although data breaches are a major risk in the modern marketplace, these tips can help you reduce loss and further expand your business with confidence.
Haywood Chamber of Commerce is a great place to market your business, make new connections, and take part in the economic development of North Carolina. Find out how to join.
written by: Chelsea Lamb