Online Security - Best practices to protect your small business from internet threats

No one is excused from cyberattacks. Even your small business could fall victim to one attack or another. With all the important sensitive data you have involving your clients and staffs; the repercussion of a breach can be serious and frightening. For this reason, it is necessary to take precaution, establish rules and measures to use against attacks over the internet.

Here are some of the most important steps every small business should be taking to protect themselves from cyberattacks.

• There are a number of ways files can be lost unexpectedly, this is why it is important to frequently backup data. Save it in a secured remote location in case anything goes badly wrong with your computer.

• Choose the best security software that can:

- catch viruses and Trojan horse programs

- control spam that may contain malicious code or links

- detect financial hacking techniques

Many security software are available on the market. Make sure to install it on every PC and server running and up-to-date.

• Protect your network with a firewall to control internet traffic coming into and flowing out. You need to use a firewall whenever you go online to provide protection from unsafe internet sources.

• Implementing a strong password is the easiest and simplest way you can do to strengthen your protection. You should definitely avoid using your personal data in creating a password and consider setting a password protection policy where you can make user passwords expire after a certain number of days.

• Computers and electronic devices must contain passwords and stored and lock in a safe place. They contain highly sensitive data, thus, securing them is a must. In addition, limit the people who have access to records and ensure that they understand the sensitivity of the data they work with and their role to make it safe and secure.

• Stored paper receipts with personal and financial information shouldn’t be kept for a long time in your cabinet if it is no longer needed. Buy a paper shredder and shred those papers instead.

• Do not underestimate the importance of physical security. Get a surveillance camera and an alarm system to protect your personnel, hardware, and data from physical actions and events that may cause severe loss or damage to your business.

• Establishing IT security policies is essential to a company’s health. It must contain rules and measures that target the prevention and elimination of the common kinds of internet attacks that may threaten the company. Make sure that your employees will understand and follow each guideline and you yourself should set a good example to everyone else in the business.