Guidelines for Small Business Cybersecurity

How Should Small Businesses Approach Cybersecurity?

As long as businesses rely on the Internet, cybersecurity will always be a concern. Small businesses are no exception when it comes to the need for a good cybersecurity approach. The impact of an attack can be particularly severe because their financial resources tend to be more limited. This makes them less resilient when it comes to recovering from an attack if not prepared. Following certain recommendations and guidelines helps to mitigate cybersecurity risk, including reducing the chance of data breaches, and there are ways for small businesses to do this at a reasonable cost.

Assess Your Risks on a Regular Basis

One of the top recommendations from data security consulting professionals is to assess your risks. Every business has different vulnerabilities. From using outdated operating systems to poorly configured network access security, identifying weak points is the first step in thwarting cybersecurity attacks. Typically, attacks are designed to find the easiest point of access. By identifying and bolstering the protections at these points, you can keep your business, employees, and customers safer.

Risk assessments and vulnerability scans look at all aspects of your business to create better IT security strategies to protect you now and in the future. Setting up ongoing scans and network monitoring are also important to reduce threats.

Implement Virus Protection

As simple as it sounds, the right virus protection is key to protecting against malware, ransomware, and more. Stronger solutions fend off common threats, such as malicious links and downloads in emails that are often the causes of major data breaches. Virus protection can even help reduce zero-day threats if the software updates in real-time to provide the most current protection possible.

Develop a Backup and Disaster Recovery Plan

Data security management and consulting helps businesses develop backup and disaster recovery plans to quickly bounce back should the worst happen. While this might not seem like the most proactive approach, continually evolving threats, simple human error, and even natural disasters are inevitable, and all can lead to sudden breaches and data loss.

Sadly, many businesses aren’t prepared for the worst and it leaves them scrambling to recover. The resulting business disruption and financial impact of not being prepared can be significant. Having a solid business continuity and disaster recovery plan in place ensures that you have a reliable backup strategy and clearly defined steps to follow if anything does go wrong. This enables you to recover as quickly as possible.

Update and Upgrade When Necessary

Over time, hardware and software become less secure for a number of reasons. For example, end-of-life Microsoft products no longer receive critical security updates once Microsoft stops supporting them. Hackers also target older hardware systems and software solutions because of vulnerabilities you simply can’t patch any longer.

Managed IT service providers can help small businesses stay on top of updates and upgrades to create more efficient and secure systems. Something as simple as switching to a newer version of an operating system or moving to secured cloud-based infrastructure can give your businesses an extra level of protection against cybersecurity threats.

Train Employees

Even the best proactive approaches to cybersecurity can fail if employees aren’t careful. For example, many data breaches occur simply due to someone falling for a phishing scam. Virus protection can help reduce the number of these phishing emails, but if one does get through, all it takes is an employee providing their password or other sensitive information to let hackers in.

The good news is that regular cybersecurity training helps drastically reduce this particular risk factor. Give your employees the tools they need to recognize potential threats. If someone’s uncertain, train them on how to investigate or report an issue before interacting with it. Data security consulting can help businesses implement end-to-end protection along with training resources to protect employees and your business.

Get 24/7 Support

Since hackers never sleep, neither should your data security and IT support. GSDSolutions, a provider of managed IT services in Palo Alto, and throughout the Bay Area and Central Valley offers friendly, knowledgeable tech support when you need it. We take a proactive approach to managing cybersecurity risks to ensure your business stays productive and as secure as possible. Working with a managed IT services provider enables small businesses to enjoy the same level of support and security as much larger businesses, but in a way that is affordable, with predictable monthly costs.

Want to Learn More?

Give our team at GSDSolutions IT Services a call at (650) 282-7695, or drop us an email at getstuffdone@gsdsolutions.io to learn more about our services and how we can help you put a robust managed IT service program strategy in place for your business. We offer Managed IT Services, Data Security Services and Virtual Event Management Service, with a predictable cost model and a commitment to customer satisfaction. From helping you review your cybersecurity protocols to designing a recovery plan and training your employees, we’ll come up with a solution that is optimal for your business’s goals, let GSDSolutions help your business “Get Stuff Done”!

Even small businesses are targets for hackers. Instead of worrying, take steps now to counter attacks before they harm your business.