Cybercriminals are always waiting in the wings to pounce on your business should they find security errors.
Last year it was reported that over 418 million dollars were lost due to cybercrimes. If you don’t want your business to become a victim of this growing epidemic you will need to put measures in place to ensure that you do not become a victim.
There are several strategies you can use to ensure that you do not fall victim to criminals. The following are some cybersecurity basics that you must have in place as a business owner.
1. Have Cybersecurity Guidelines for Those Who Work for You
Whether you run a large or a small business, you have to ensure that employees adhere to the guidelines you establish for cybersecurity. One of the best ways to ensure compliance among employees is to create a policy that they are all aware of.
For example, your policy could stipulate that employees must create strong passwords for business accounts. Strong passwords are usually a mixture of upper case and lower case letters along with numerals and symbols.
You could also have a policy that asks your employees to set up two-factor authentication to access their business accounts. With two factor authentification, there is a two-step-sign in process which makes it a whole lot harder for hackers to bypass your security.
2. Updating in a Timely Manner Is One of the Most Important Cybersecurity Basics
It’s easy to press “later” when your computer or a frequently used software prompts you to update. Often “later” doesn’t come until it is too late. If you are running a business, the minute you are prompted to update your operating systems and software then do so.
When updates become available it means that new security measures and features are added. Cybercriminals also look out for these updates and immediately find ways to prey on those businesses that are still vulnerable. Make sure you are not one of them by promptly responding to updates.
3. Backup Your Important Files
You need to back up the information on your business computers regularly. Backing up your information should be done on a schedule. You can decide to do it daily or weekly. The key is to make sure that it gets done.
A cyber attack can wipe out your whole business and it is best to have your information stored somewhere so that you can restore your lost data. When it comes to securing your backups you should have cloud copies that utilize strong passwords as well as encryption to secure your data.
4. Use VPS Hosting
If you are currently using shared hosting, consider changing to VPS hosting. A VPS hosting service can help provide cybersecurity for you and your business. You may be wondering, “what is VPS?” VPS stands for Virtual Private Server.
Having your own personal server for your business is one of the best ways to protect your data. While shared hosting is the cheaper option, with all the other sites on the network you may become a victim of a cyber attack too if one of them gets hit.
Your VPS provider will usually monitor your network regularly. This ensures that your system is less likely to be attacked by hackers. VPS providers will also provide ways to backup your website to protect your data.
5. Ensure That Your WiFi Is Secure
You should secure your WIFI so that only your employees will have access to it. In fact, whenever possible you should set up your WiFi so that those who work in your business can access it without knowing the password.
If you want to offer your customers free WiFi then create a separate network for that. If you have an open setup for everybody then anybody who comes into your office with the right tech skills will be able to access your business files.
6. Limit Access
Make sure that you limit the people who can get access to certain information. You cannot afford to make exceptions, no matter how much you trust someone.
Employees at different levels of clearance should not be allowed to share passwords or codes with those at different levels. You should have a zero tolerance policy for this and strict disciplinary measures if this occurs.
Never allow a client to use your company laptop or desktop computer to look for any form of information. Sometimes it is the simple things that open you up to cyber attacks.
7. Beware Of Phishing
One of the favorite tactics of cybercriminals is to create phishing sites. Do not respond to emails from your bank that asks you for sensitive information in order to give you capital for your business.
It is not that your bank can’t send you an email just make sure the links are taking you to an authentic site before you input sensitive information. If you are not careful you may follow a link that takes you to a website that looks like your bank’s website but is actually a phishing site.
One way to avoid getting tricked by fake websites is to bookmark the authentic link of your bank and always use that to access your account. You should also make your employees who have access to financial information aware of phishing to avoid having your account hacked.
Final Thoughts
Keeping your business free from cybercriminal is of utmost importance. Know cybersecurity basics such as having strong passwords and backing up your files is essential.
Criminals are getting more clever by the minute so it is important that you use a Virtual Private Server (VPS) whenever you can. Using a VPS ensures that your information is more secure as you are not sharing the hosting of your website with another.
You should also make sure you secure your WiFi, limit access to information and try to be alert about emails as they may contain links to phishing sites.
If you want more help with your business, please visit our blog. We have lots of information that will help you to grow your business.