How to protect your business from cyber threats

Cyber threats can be very dangerous, especially for a small business, most cyber-criminals don’t want to only access your data, but also the data of your suppliers and customers. Today you are far less safe than you were five years ago, because these criminals are becoming better organized, more aggressive and have more ways to attack. Here are some ways to make sure your cyber security is super safe:

      1.    Understand the main types of security threats
Your small business is mostly at risk to a wide range of data breach threats, which can be anything from data stolen off a lost smartphone to hackers breaking into local or cloud servers. Regardless of what kind it is you need to protect your business from data breaches, this means you’ll need to identify the vulnerabilities, train employees, enforce cyber security policies and conduct tests to make sure your safeguards are secure.

      2.    Know your specific risks and reduce them
Rather than a technical issue, approach cyber security as a business. There are five steps you can go through on your checklist: Identify, Protect, Detect, Respond and Recover. It is important to make all employees aware of security policies, especially in a small business where employees sometimes use their own devices for work and personal purposes.

      3.    Build a foundation of the best security practices
Make sure to include these actions when defending your business:
- Use strong passwords on all accounts and change them every 3-6 months
- Manage internet traffic with a firewall
- Use two-factor authentication wherever you can - All sensitive data should be encrypted
- Equip all computers with security software
- Set anti-virus/anti-malware/ anti-spyware protection and make sure it updates automatically
- Keep WiFi networks encrypted with password protection
- Train employees on the best security practices for daily workflows

      4.    Have a layered approach to security
The best kind of cyber security requires a layered approach,  include these actions:
- Do regular tests to see where the vulnerabilities are in external servers
- Use security software that monitors web traffic so you can have advanced warning of potential attacks
- Consider buying cyber security insurance
- Keep sensitive security offline or not in digital format
- The glue that holds your cyber security together is to make sure there is a formal security policy.

      5.    Use cloud providers you can trust
Sometimes it’s best to pay a subscription fee to get the best security features you need, it could be a bit risky to use a free cloud service like Dropbox to share work files. The best approach is to offer employees an alternative that is acceptable to the company and that everyone agrees on, making it easier for everyone to do the right thing.

Being ignorant and denying cyber threats can be really risky, crooks are setting their sights on small businesses more often than others and you need to be prepared for anything, from minor cyber crimes to something a lot more serious.

At The Computer Guyz we can offer you a wide range of IT services: Graphic design, website hosting, general IT support or some friendly advice, just give us a call.

Written By: Christine Romans
CopyWriter at The Computer Guyz Cape Town