Cybersecurity has become a top priority for business leaders, especially since news outlets have featured the latest cyber threats and companies affected by such threats. Malware and phishing attacks dramatically increase every year, so inadequate security measures result in a greater risk of disaster. In their “Guidelines for Cybersecurity and Privacy” document, Microsoft states that recovering from a cyber intrusion takes an average of 11 weeks”.
To ensure your small business is safe from cyber threats, take initiative as soon as possible. Below is a list of necessary actions to enhance your company’s cybersecurity.
1) Develop a disaster recovery plan.
A disaster recovery plan is defined as “a documented, structured approach with instructions for responding to unplanned incidents.” Get together with your IT department or IT consultant to construct a reliable backup and recovery strategy. Understand your backup’s capabilities and know what to do when an interruption or security breach occurs.
2) Conduct Security Awareness Training for all employees.
Formally training your employees on cybersecurity will greatly reduce your risk of becoming a victim of cyber threats. Have your training program cover a variety of subjects such as phishing, password security, desktop security, and wireless networks. Educating employees on policies and procedures may also promote a safer network.
3) Test and verify existing security measures.
To help minimize cyberattacks, periodically test the effectiveness of your security measures. For example, you can check how well your employees know security policies and procedures by administering a quiz. You need to at least conduct annual network assessments to detect any weak points in your network infrastructure.
4) Use a layered approach towards privacy and security.
In addition to Security Awareness Training and following best practices, you may want to consider business class next-generation firewall and next-generation antivirus. These tools place restrictions on employees who use their computers for everyday productivity.
5) Take inventory and document all IT information.
Documenting your company’s software and hardware inventory is an additional tool to enhance your company’s cybersecurity. With proper documentation, your company may pinpoint problem areas and better recover from network failure or interruption.
6) Update network components regularly.
Keep your company’s product licenses and subscriptions up-to-date. This keeps operations running smoothly and lessens the likelihood of a security lapse, which may result in a threat or attack.
Optimum cybersecurity should be a goal for every small business otherwise you can be inadvertently exposing your business substantial risk. Taking these steps may dramatically safeguard your IT network from cyber criminals. When it comes to protection from online harm, you can never be too safe.
