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In 4 Cybersecurity Tips for Small Businesses (Part 1), I previously shared about cybersecurity. It includes creating better passwords, setting restrictions, and so on. For this blog post, I will discussed more helpful tips for small businesses.

5. Plan for any Data Breach that May Happen

For this step, you may want to consult an IT staff. Perhaps, you may want to seek the advice of I.T. service providers like Omnipotech. Because cyber attacks keep increasing and increasing, it is recommended to prepare for the worst case scenario. For instance, backing up your data really helps in case data loss may happen.

6. Hack Your Own System

To check whether an outsider can easily get in your network, it is best to hire someone who look for these vulnerabilities and weaknesses. An IT consulting firms, like Omnipotech, can help you do a technical audit. now to audit your system in search of weaknesses. From there, you can think of better solutions or come up with better ways to connect with your clients.

7. Set Up a Firewall

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) released a blog post called Cybersecurity for Small Business, and in that article, they specifically said,

A firewall is a set of related programs that prevent outsiders from accessing data on a private network.

The FCC recommends to all small businesses to create a firewall as a barrier between important company data and cybercriminals. Aside from having an external firewall, other companies also install internal firewalls to add another layer of protection.

8. Back Up Important Data

Yes, these to security measures prevent cyber attacks as possible, but there is no such thing as a perfect defense. You can still be breached regardless of extreme caution. The U.S. Small Business Administration reminds businesses to back up the data on all computers.

Important data include financial statements, invoice, spreadsheets, and other financial files. Do not forget to save word processing documents, databases, human resources files, and other company data. If possible, set up an automatic weekly back up, and store these files on another location. Keep it away from water and/or fire hazards.

9. Install Anti-Malware Software

Don’t leave it all to chance. It’s easy to say that your employees know what they are doing. They could have, unknowingly, opened phishing emails. Perhaps, they thought it was just another harmless email.

In fact, Verizon’s Data Breach Report indicated that 30 percent of employees admitted to opening phishing emails. Once these malicious emails are clicked, malware can quickly spread on the employee’s computer. Thus, it is extremely important to have anti-malware software.

If you can and if budget permits, install an anti-malware software on all devices using the company network. According to an article posted on Entrepreneur.com, phishing attacks go after certain employees. They target anyone who has access to confidential data from executives to human resources.

Conclusion

Cybersecurity should not be the last item on your security checklist. In fact, it should be the utmost priority of any business. Contact Omnipotech Support Center now to learn about the different cybersecurity solutions that you can add to protect your business.

Often times, we often hear about data breaches on the news. These may involve huge corporations and government offices being hacked. However, the truth is that all businesses are vulnerable to attacks. Whether you manage a big or a small company, you can still be a victim of hacking and data breach.

Unfortunately, small businesses are prone to being hacked because these companies are not well protected. It may be because of the lack of resources or lack of employees to handle the cybersecurity division.

Hackers can get into big companies without a hitch. What is gonna to stop them from going for the small fishes in the sea? Small companies are easy money for these hackers because they cannot afford a tight level of online protection. With that being said, I will list some cybersecurity tips that every small business can apply.

1. Create Better Passwords

The first thing to do create strong password to protect your devices and your network. This step should be mandatory, and do not even try to implement “temporary” weak passwords. If you have a secure network, you should follow strict standards.

Strong passwords are needed, and the one should change/update on a regular basis. Apply certain policies in order to avoid any accidental sharing of passwords even to co-workers.

2. Set Certain Restrictions

Next, you should not only depend on passwords. A secure defense contains layers upon layers of security. This is to avoid any sensitive data safe from going out. This means you should limit the access of certain information. In addition, you should put extra layer of password, encryption, and more.

3. Monitor the Devices Used

Being a newbie, your business cannot afford getting laptops and personal computers at the time being. Naturally, your starting group of employees will have to use personal devices when working.

To make sure that company data won’t leak, it will help if you install a monitoring software on their devices. Implement rules to make sure the devices are secured such as installing security updates, and changing passwords from time to time.

These are security measures in order to protect your business. Hence, you have to clearly explain to your employees that this is not invasion of privacy. You just being careful especially if employees may put the business at risk while using their own devices.

4. Train Your Employees About Cybersecurity

Even if you apply the best cybersecurity solution there, your employees can unknowingly trigger a data breach. So, train your employees regarding the repercussions of their actions. Hence, you have to make sure that all your employees learn on how to properly use company resources with compromising security. Lastly, they should know that security should be the top priority.

Level up your cybersecurity!

Cyber attacks are NO joke, and you should not take it lightly. These cyber criminals can bring down businesses if they want to. Luckily, you can protect your business with the help of IT service providers such as Omnipotech. It’s about time to take cybersecurity very seriously!

More on 5 Cybersecurity Tips for Small Businesses (Part 2)

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