A small business can face losses of almost $55,000 after experiencing a cyberattack. Taking steps to prevent cyberattacks can be well worth the effort.
If you want to keep your company safe from potential threats, you need to take cybersecurity seriously. Taking the right cybersecurity steps now could save you a lot of effort and money in the future.
In this guide, we’ll list the 7 essential cybersecurity tips you need to follow to protect your business.
1. Keep Your Systems Updated
One of the key steps to take to improve cybersecurity is to update your systems and software regularly. You should ensure that all devices that you use for your business, including desktop computers, laptops, smartphones, and tablets, are updated regularly.
Any software you use could potentially be vulnerable. You need to make sure that you’re always running the latest versions.
Failing to update your computer and its software may save you time in the short term but can end up causing you a lot of trouble in the long term if hackers end up getting access to your system. Be sure that you avoid issues by creating a schedule for installing updates and then sticking to it.
2. Prioritize Employee Security Training
Great cybersecurity starts with a staff that understands the importance of security and understands how to avoid potential issues.
Make sure that you’re training your staff on cybersecurity issues fully and helping them understand how to protect any devices that they use. You should also be sure that they know how to identify security threats. They should be able to identify threats such as phishing scams and should be careful about the emails they open and the links they click.
Be sure that you have thought carefully about your onboarding process and are training your employees on proper security protocols. Be sure to set clear standards for your team so that they’ll know exactly what they’re supposed to do at all times.
Great training and security standards will have a big effect on your business and can go a long way in keeping it more secure.
3. Use Strong Passwords and Authentication Practices
One of the best things to do to increase cybersecurity is to ensure that you’re using strong passwords and authentication in your business.
Passwords should be lengthy and should feature a combination of numbers, letters, and symbols. You should also enable multi-factor authentication to ensure that only employees are accessing a device or software.
In addition to using strong passwords and authentication, also make sure that your employees are changing their passwords on a regular basis. You may want to use a password management tool to store and manage passwords and to send reminders when it’s time to update passwords.
4. Keep Your Wi-Fi Networks Secure
One of the best things that you can do to keep your business safe from intruders is to ensure that your wireless network is as secure as possible.
One of the main things you’ll want to do is make sure that your router name is changed from its default. The name shouldn’t relate to your business or make it obvious to outsiders whose network it is. You should also make sure to use the strongest encryption possible and the best security protocol available.
Use Wi-Fi Protected Access 3 (WPA3) and ensure that you set strong passwords. Securing a business network will prevent outsiders from gaining access to your business data.
5. Rethink Public Wi-Fi Usage
One of the most important things to do to improve business cybersecurity is to be mindful of public Wi-Fi usage. You and your employees should avoid using public Wi-Fi with company devices.
If your employees must use public Wi-Fi networks, ensure that they do it in a wise way. Employees who use public Wi-Fi should make sure that they’re using a virtual private network (VPN) when doing so.
VPNs allow for increased security and privacy when accessing a public Wi-Fi network that isn’t as secure as a company network. VPNs can serve as an extra level of security when using a device in a public setting and could prevent data loss and cyberattacks.
6. Make Regular System Backups
Another vital part of improving a business’s cybersecurity is making regular file backups.
You need to back up data regularly so that your business will have a way to recover it if something unexpected happens. If you don’t back up your data, you could be in pretty bad shape if you experience a data breach or if your servers experience physical damage.
The costs of data loss can be extensive and could end up setting back your business by quite a bit. You need to make sure that you take data security seriously and follow a regular schedule when backing up your data.
7. Install Antivirus Software
One of the simple but effective things that you can do to strengthen your cybersecurity is to install antivirus software on all company devices. You need to ensure that all devices you and your employees use have antivirus software. The software will be actively protecting data from intruders and malicious hackers.
Ensure that you install reliable antivirus software and also that you’re updating it regularly. Threats change and evolve over time, so you should install updates regularly to get the strongest protection possible.
Keeping Your Business Safe With These Cybersecurity Tips
If you want to keep your business safe from breaches, be sure that you implement the essential cybersecurity tips listed above. By staying proactive and preparing in the right way, you can protect your business and avoid the major setbacks that can occur due to data loss or cyberattacks.
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