Small businesses are possibly the most vulnerable targets for cybercriminals. They don’t have the massive budgets of some of those big corporations to defend their networks against malicious users. These companies also do not have a dedicated IT security team that watches the network non-stop or performs security audits.
Although they don’t have the budget for expensive cybersecurity tools, they do have one thing; extremely valuable personal information. This is what makes them the perfect target, and they should do something about it. To learn more about the cyber security tools for small businesses, visit this website: https://divyashakthysofttech.com/
Contrary to the popular belief, businesses don’t always need to break the bank to protect their corporate network against hackers. There are cheaper and easier ways if implemented correctly. If you have a small business to be protected from cyber attacks, check out these crucial tips.
1-) Keep all software updated
Software updates are not always for improved functionality, or for a better look. One of the most important reasons for a software update is to fix vulnerabilities that are detected by its developers. That’s why it’s always recommended that all devices, applications, and tools are kept updated with the latest version possible.
If you have a small team, make sure to go over all the apps and other software you use. Check with your team members to see whether they are falling behind on updates or getting them done right away. If they underestimate the risk caused by outdated software, schedule regular audits just for this. We can’t over-emphasize how important updates are for cybersecurity.
2-) Back up data frequently
As a small business trying to defend against complex cyber attacks, you can’t just hope that what you’re doing is enough. Cyber attacks can happen, and with limited resources, it is likely that one will happen someday. What you can do in this case is control how impactful the attack is going to be.
One of the best ways to reduce the impact of a cyber attack is to back up your data frequently. Data loss is a big deal and may cause you to give up some profit, or even lose your business if you are truly unprepared.
When you back up all the data you have, you can go back up as soon as possible after a cyber-attack. Although you will still be affected, you can at least continue your operations which will help you overcome the issue. The cutting-edge data security system developed by Team8 was initially introduced as a way of thwarting assaults.
3-) Use a VPN solution
VPN is now one of the best and most affordable ways to bring cybersecurity to small web-based businesses. Although VPN was something pricy and unreachable to small businesses, modern vendors offer subscription-based cloud VPN solutions.
These services handle all the maintenance, customer service, or connection issues. You pay a small fee per user, which is a great deal for a small team. But what do these cloud VPN solutions offer?
Cloud VPN can encrypt all the transmitted data, provide secure remote access to anywhere in the world, and keep unauthorized users outside of your network (more info on cloud VPN benefits).
If you have an opportunity to pay a small fee and leave the rest to the professionals, you definitely need a VPN solution. All the headache of deploying hardware or hiring a dedicated IT team is now unnecessary thanks to cloud computing and next-gen VPN services.
4-) Implement anti-virus
Spyware, ransomware, and phishing scams are truly a nightmare, especially for a small business with limited resources. Using anti-virus software significantly decreases the risk of infected devices and possibly phishing attacks.
What to look for in anti-virus software is the ability to recover devices by getting them back to the desired state and protecting them against ransomware. Over the years, there are so many new anti-virus companies that it is not expensive and affordable even to individual users. As a small business, not having anti-virus software on company devices is not an option anymore.
5-) Limit access to confidential data
Even if you have a small team that just goes above and beyond their roles, you need to set up clear rules on who can access what. Not all employees need to have access to confidential data such as the personal information of customers. If they don’t need it for their job, they should never be able to access it.
What you can do to prevent internal threats is limit access to sensitive information by setting up roles within your company. Then you can utilize these clear-cut roles to determine what they need for their daily work. We promise that this will make things so much easier both for your employees and you. If only a couple of people have access to the most sensitive data you have, the chances are they will stay safe.
6-) Use multi-factor authentication
It is common for small businesses to hire remote talents because they lower costs. But if you are working as a remote team and accessing company resources through the cloud, you need to ensure that end-users are being authenticated properly.
Using usernames and passwords only is an outdated practice, and hackers very well know how to get past them. You need to implement multi-factor authentication as an added layer of security.
Multi-factor authentication is a technology that requests a second verification from the end-user after they put their password in. Let’s say your employee tries to sign in to their work email.
They put in their email address and password, but they are not yet let in. The system then sends a one-time code via text messages and asks the user to put it in. When you think about the risk of device theft, especially for remote users, MFA is definitely a need.
7-) Ensure third parties are secure
Third parties are one of the most important sources of business for small companies. They don’t always have the means to hire a full employee or develop something from scratch. What they do is just go online, make a deal with a contractor or get a service from a cloud-based vendor.
You know where this is going right? Every time you work with a third party, you share some of your corporate resources with someone or something not linked to your company. That’s why third-party risks are real and need to be addressed.
If you are working with third parties, please make sure to ask questions about how they ensure cybersecurity on their private networks and how they value and protect client information. Do they have a recovery plan in case of a disaster? Do they work with IT security professionals on a large scale? These are crucial questions to be answered by the third party.
