If your small business isn’t taking cyber security measures seriously, we can guarantee a hacker or bad actor will find you.

It’s just a matter of time – and you could lose a ton of money, productivity and customers and clients.

The FBI estimates that in 2020, more than $4 billion was lost due to cyber crime – and that number will likely increase.

With that said, here are 10 tips for small business cyber security measures to take now. Read on:

  1. Secure devices: It only takes a second to access secure data on a company phone, tablet or laptop and if your employees work remotely, it’s critical they understand how to secure their devices. At minimum, they should be password protected and only secure networks used – also, they should never be leaving devices unlocked and unattended. Mandating enabling MFA, or multi-factor authentication, where it makes sense is also a good strategy.
  2. Evaluate access: Does every employee have access to everything in your small business? If so, make sure to change that. There is usually no need for every employee to have unfettered access, so limiting access to only those who need it is a great way to stay secure.
  3. Back it up. One of the best things you can do is to secure your backup systems. There are a variety of options: Cloud-based, off-site and more. This is a valuable tool to have in your toolkit, and making sure you have multiple backup plans is key.
  4. If you have never done employee security awareness training, it’s high time. More than 90 percent of breaches happen due to employee negligence and preventing those incidents can save you.
  5. Craft a crisis plan. It isn’t if it’s when when it comes to cyber attacks, and your organization needs to have a crisis plan in place. It can help stem the damage, get you back up and running quickly and more.
  6. Risk assessments. Did you know you can hire someone to perform risk assessments so you know exactly where your organization’s vulnerabilities lie? It’s true. And then, you can figure out how to fix them.
  7. Both antivirus and antimalware software is a must. If your organization hasn’t invested in these proactive measures, do it today.
  8. Does your business send or receive sensitive data? If you do, and you don’t have an encryption service, you can be vulnerable to hackers or others getting their hands on it. This goes for your Wi-fi network as well.
  9. A VPN. A VPN, or virtual private network, is a must in this world of remote work. This allows your employees to work remotely on a virtual network – protecting data and systems.
  10. Password managers. It’s critical to have complicated, lengthy passwords – but who can remember them? Having a password manager allows for more secure passwords that can be saved and accessed.

AccuNet Inc.

If you want to talk about how to keep your data secure, we can help. Contact us today!