Cyber Security Tips For Businesses
If you’re looking for cyber security tips for businesses, you’re not the only one. In the digital era, cyber attacks aren’t just an issue for large businesses and organisations – small businesses can be targeted too. In fact, evidence suggests small businesses may be more vulnerable to cyber attacks than larger organisations due to a lack of resources, fewer opportunities for staff training and less manpower.
Finding decent cyber security tips for businesses can be difficult but when it comes to cyber crime, it’s important to avoid complacency. Many businesses come to think an attack will never impact them. However, this is false and can lull you and your team into a false sense of security. It’s important to stay alert by enforcing good password management, keeping your network up to date and perhaps most important, implementing a forward-thinking disaster recovery strategy that gets your business back on track should your organisation come under fire.
Essentially, cyber security is an important consideration for any modern business, regardless of size or industry. Cyber crime is without a doubt one of the fastest-growing and most lucrative kinds of crime in the world, so unless you want your company’s name to end up in the headlines of your local newspaper, it’s important to follow the best cyber security tips for businesses available today.
Enforce good password management
More than 80 per cent of adults reuse the same password across multiple accounts – in 2022, password was the most used with other common passwords including qwerty, 123456 and guest.
Ensuring you and your team are using secure passwords is one of the simplest ways to stop your business from becoming a victim of cyber crime. Strong passwords are entirely unique and should contain a large combination of letters, numbers and symbols. They should also never be shared with anyone under any circumstances, including management or IT teams.
If you or your team struggle with remembering long, complex passwords, consider investing in password management software. This can be sourced and set up by your IT support partner, who’ll also be able to advise you on the best practices to keep your business secure. For example, your passwords should never be written down – this includes writing them down on a Post-it and sticking it to your monitor.
Create a cautious environment
There are scammers out there who will take advantage of spelling mistakes in common URLs to direct people to harmful domains. They may also use fake adverts, compromise reputable sites or even pretend to be a colleague. This means it’s imperative for your staff to be aware of any dangers threatening the security of your business.
As a business owner, it’s your responsibility to create an environment where employees feel like they can carry off their tasks safely and without the risk of a security breach. They should also be able to question the legitimacy of potential phishing emails and freely seek second opinions without fear of ridicule or reprisal.
Remember – it’s better to be cautious and spend a few minutes with your employee verifying a source than have ransomware lock your entire network. It’s also important to extend the same caution to any external devices. Infected flash drives, external hard drives and even smartphones can cause malware to spread. As a result, devices should be scanned before they’re connected to your network, including when employees connect personal devices to your company’s Wi-Fi.
Make regular offsite backups
Ensuring your data is regularly backed up can mitigate some of the damage caused by a cyber attack, although this will ultimately be determined by the quality of your backups as well as the speed at which your network can be recovered.
At Acronyms, we recommend the Backup Rule of Three to our clients. Also known as the 3 – 2 – 1 Rule, it outlines a backup strategy that ensures a business is storing at least three copies of its network and data at any one time. These backups should be stored on at least two different media types, with at least one being offsite.
Make use of software and hardware security
Different threats require different cyber security measures. Given the abundance of free security software, it may be tempting to cut costs on your software and hardware security. However, free versions usually won’t offer you the same protection as full software packages.
We offer a range of cyber security packages designed to keep your organisation safe. Find out more here.
Start a disaster recovery plan
Technology moves quickly and cyber security threats are developing all the time. This means that your disaster recovery plan is only as effective as it is relevant. As a business owner, it’s your responsibility to ensure your staff know what to do in a cyber attack – this is where your disaster recovery strategy comes in.
A disaster recovery plan is a set of instructions for you and your employees to follow in the event of a disaster. Having a bespoke disaster recovery strategy in place should be a serious consideration for businesses of all shapes and sizes.
Whatever format your disaster recovery plan takes, it is vital you keep it up-to-date. Your employees need to be well-versed in the processes outlined within it. Also, whilst there are good resources to help plan for potential disasters, it’s important to remember that your business is unique. This means your budgets, resources and IT infrastructure is different to that of other businesses and you cannot rely on someone else’s plan to cover your company – especially in the event of a major disruption such as data theft.
Cyber security services at Acronyms
Cyber security should be considered one of the primary threats to your business – contrary to popular belief, it’s certainly not a fad and the importance of safeguarding your network, IT infrastructure and data is not going to disappear. Choosing to ignore the threat of cyber crime, or neglecting your cyber security responsibilities, will only be detrimental to your business.
Acronyms have been helping businesses of all shapes and sizes with their cyber security since 2003. Our experienced team of consultants, technicians and engineers offer a diverse range of innovative security solutions. Our knowledgeable team can assess your operations and implement the bespoke, innovative cyber security strategy you need to cement operational continuity day-to-day.
If you have any questions about cyber security or would like to know more about the cyber security services we offer then please contact the team for a no-obligation consultation.
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