Patrick Domingues

It’s quite a task having to protect a small business from online dangers. The threats that can come across your network are vast and in order to avoid them you should consider having a Simple But Strong Cyber Security Strategy.

You don’t have to know much about this topic to know that you absolutely need some sort of cyber security. Here are some Simple But Strong Cyber Security Strategy steps that you can follow in order to protect your small business while still educating yourself and employees about the matter.

 

Install the latest antivirus software

One of the most important things to have is a business class antivirus software. The antivirus software you use to protect your small business files should always be kept up to date and active on every computer used by your employees within your office space and you should also consider protecting computers that access the network through VPN as well. You can achieve this by setting up the antivirus to automatically check for updates and make sure to run regular scans for viruses and malware a few times every single week.

 

Always secure your WiFi networks

As the subject states it is important for you to secure your Wi-Fi network at your small business. Changing the default password to a stronger one and making sure the network can’t be accessed from outside of your office is quite important for keeping your important files protected from a cyber attack.

Remember, working on an unsecured network should be done with caution or not at all… While having employees work remotely might be something you can’t always avoid, you need to make sure that every party involved understands they should not be working on important things from unsecured networks like in coffee-shops and other public places.

 

Use vLANs for separation of duties. 

Firewalls have the power to use VLANs to separate users and endpoints that access sensitive information like PHI, PII, Accounting info and others. The firewall routes traffic between VLANs which denies users from accessing networks and data they are not authorized to access. For example a basic setup is having two vLANs, one for the small business network and one for guests, this way guest cannot access the internal company network.

 

Protect your passwords

Password protection is another very important aspect of managing the security of your small business. The passwords you choose to protect the company should be strong and hard-to-guess in order to make sure they won’t be easy to crack by anyone. It is also crucial that you update your passwords frequently and not repeat them. Make sure that the passwords you are using are not already available on the dark web.

Make sure not to over share the password or at all with anyone. Not every employee should be able to have access to every file of the company networks and servers. Only a select authorized people you can trust with a certain passwords will help keep your security intact.

 

Backup Backup Backup your data

Backing up your data before a disaster strike is the best way to cope with any potential loses. It is a always good idea to keep more than one backup copy on different types of media so that you are always able to update them regularly. Keeping a backup copy secured offsite is also a good option to keep in mind for disaster recovery and business continuity. 

 

Track and monitor personal account activity

One thing many employees might not think about is just how easy it is to access company files through a compromised personal accounts. The best course of action is to add another security layer by incorporating multi factor authentication to the accounts employees use. While it might seem unnecessary to some members of your company, they all need to be reminded that an additional means of protection is more important than losing data or succumbing to a data breach .

 

Train employees security awareness

Another thing you should be doing when it comes to protecting the small business is to provide employees with security awareness training. There are many different ways for a hacker to trick employees but a trained employee should be able to detect and avoid the threat. In order to protect your sensitive small business information, you need to establish penalties and teach your trained employees to be careful of their actions in regards to the safety of the company.

 

Hire A Pen-Testing Consultant

The best thing you can do is to hire a professional Pen-Tester who will be able to see how well your security practices measure up. There are many IT specialists online who would be able to test your system and find any weaknesses it holds. After they have successfully recognized all the issues, you can begin to establish a strategy that will better protect your business against an actual attack.

 

Securing your company’s information is a marathon

Protecting a small business against a potential cyber-security attack requires you to establish A Simple But Strong Cyber Security Strategy which will help you and your employees deal with any issues that might come up effectively. Proper training and protective measures will help your company network stay safe and your company’s reputation unharmed.

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