Ways to Prevent Cyber Attacks on Your Small Business
In the past few decades, the Internet has dramatically transformed our lives to an extent that the Internet has now become an indispensable part of our daily lives. In fact, the Internet is behind some of the major technological breakthroughs in the past three decades. However, with the increasing number of technological advancements in the area of the Internet, the amount of illicit activities concerning the cyberspace has multiplied as well. Cyber security breaches, such as identity theft, data breaches, and various other forms of cybercrimes, have plagued the cyberspace since the beginning of the 21st century.
Cyber security is one of the most pressing but least understood challenges of our time. And these so-called cyber attacks are not being executed by your stereotypical hacker. This is 21st century organized crime. The rise of the cybercrimes is no longer limited to social media. As cyber crimes become more lucrative, cyber attacks on organizations have become a nightmare for data security experts. It is not an overstatement to say everyone is a target today, and businesses are no exception, especially small businesses. And hence, it is required to prevent cyber attacks.
Cyber attacks on small businesses are now more common than ever. In fact, one in five small businesses falls prey to a cyber attack, yet they do not have a solid cyber security strategy to protect themselves from such attacks. That is why you must address cyber security now, so that as a player in the global marketplace, you can operate with fear of attack. It’s true that majority of cyber attacks are targeted at small businesses. So, it’s time you put some additional measures to protect your small business from cyber attacks and minimize your exposure to breaches.
Have a Dedicated IT Department
In the last few years, cyber security has emerged as a number one concern for small businesses. Probably the main reason for such vulnerability is that many small businesses are not in a position to have a dedicated IT department. For this reason, many businesses outsource IT functions to some third-party provider. Of course, the problem there is that in the event of any crisis, those small businesses typically are not on the priority list of those IT firms. So, ever business, whether small or big, should have a dedicated IT department to protect them from cyber attacks.
Develop and Implement Cyber Security Policies
The number of cyber attacks on small businesses continues to rise. While it’s almost impossible to plan for every potential cyber attack, a little proactive monitoring and a well-defined series of steps won’t hurt. After all, the best offense is a good defense. So, learning how to develop an adequate cyber security program is crucial for any organization. Yet small businesses lack the knowledge or expertise to develop a response strategy. There are several ways to protect your small business and prevent cyber attacks. But it is imperative that you put certain cyber security policies or protocols in place for every aspect of your business.
Educate Your Employees
Surprisingly, majority of attacks on small businesses are fundamentally basic attacks, such as phishing, intellectual property theft, or adware. Most viruses are spread via email these days and all it takes is a single, well-structured email to get a well-meaning employee to click on a malicious link to infect your entire network. Often, employees are unaware of their online behavior and they do not understand the repercussions of unsafe online activities. So, small businesses must train their employees in networking, operating systems, and multiple layers of security.
Keep Your Software and Systems Always Up-To-Date
Change is inherent in every business or organization. Having a centralized cyber security policy with an up-to-date system and virus protection is crucial organizational cyber security. A cyber attack is a deliberate exploitation of computer systems and networks. A virus attack can be very devastating to your network, and ultimately for your business. Malware often spreads through websites and affects users. So, it’s important to keep your operating system and software, particularly virus protection and firewall, always up to date. Prevention is a fundamental solution to prevent cyber attacks and the best way to do that is to stay up to date.
Get On the Cloud
Every year, cyber attacks cost small businesses a great deal of money. But why small businesses are at so much risk? Because they store more and more personal and confidential data, and that number is increasing day by day as we are going digital. The answer to protecting your data as a small business is cloud computing, which offers a higher level of protection against cyber attacks. Storing the data on the cloud which is protected by multiple layers of security is the best line of defense for small businesses. Plus, it also allows easy access to your data in the event of a breach or system malfunction.
