Recent high-profile security breaches have created considerable buzz within every industry. It is also surprising that attacks and breaches on small and medium businesses has increased manifold in the last five years. No company, regardless of its nature of operations, is immune from security breaches. From having DVR and IP cameras hacked, to data theft and ransomware attacks, there are numerous examples. Cybersecurity experts, however, believe that a few basic steps can change the whole security standpoint of a business. In this post, we are sharing top 5 cybersecurity steps that every small and growing business should consider.
- Strong Passwords are a must
Unsafe passwords are easy to hack, and it is almost akin to sleeping at night with the door open. Businesses need to understand the relevance of strong passwords and preach the same to employees. Ask your employees to use passphrases, which are at least 16 characters long, with use of uppercase, lowercase letters and special characters. Also, if your teams are not using a password manager, it’s high time that start using one.
- Spend on cybersecurity training
Eventually, employees are handling all sorts of resources, systems, data, and networks, and they need to know about their role in cybersecurity management. If your company doesn’t have a cybersecurity training program yet, consider creating one. Since threats are constantly evolving, it is always wise to spend on regular workshops. Also, make sure that cybersecurity is a part of onboarding process.
- Minimize Data Access
No matter the resource, only people who need access to it should have the same. Access rights management is an aspect that many small businesses take for granted. Make sure that rights of employees can be changed, updated, removed or revoked in real time, as needed. An access management suite can be handy for the same.
- Regular Data Backups
Ransomware attacks, phishing, remote access attacks are all too common in the business space now. If you don’t want to lose access to data and resources, regular backups are a must. Ensure that all data backups are locked and done periodically.
- Update all software and firmware
There is a reason why manufacturers release patches to successful software and firmware. Among other things, these updates often fix existing system vulnerabilities. Also, check if all networked devices and systems are protected by a firewall.
Cybersecurity has to be about proactive and reactive measures for businesses, regardless of other factors.
