If you have a small business company, don’t think that cybercriminals will spare you because of the size of it. That would be extremely careless not to say foolish on your part keeping today’s cybersecurity risks in mind.
Even if you have to do a minor thing like having to pay Spectrum bill online, you need to be careful, because it is not about the money, but the security breach that could lead to much bigger and dangerous breaches in the future. So, what are the steps and precautions that you should take to make your business safe? Here is a list below to help you out.
Security Team for Prevention and Detection
It doesn’t need to be a big one. You can form a small one and assign it the task of prevention and detection of security threats to your business. They should also write an account of any attempted breach so that a procedure protocol could be set for the future. You should also train them well about the latest security upgrades so that they can identify the threat as soon as it occurs.
Make Contractor/Internee Accounts
This is a security measure that is never going to fail you. You are protecting your premises, digital or otherwise, from external hackers by not letting them enter in the first place. Make temporary contractor/internee accounts so that they cannot reach inside your business once they are done with the job. In case of extension, you can always delay the expiration of their accounts.
Make Frequent Audits a Habit
Frequent audits eliminate the risks of insider breaches, in case one of your employees decides to harm you in any way. If you own a business, you cannot risk being naïve regarding the sincerity of your workers. It is good to have a healthy workplace trust relationship, but healthier to never let your guard down.
Employee Termination Protocol
Follow employee termination protocols religiously. Most of the companies nowadays have strict rules about informing the company (if the employee has decided to leave) or the employee (if the company is going to do the termination) at least a month in advance. That way, the company has ample time to streamline the termination process and block the employee’s company accounts immediately after he/she leaves. You are then sure that your confidential data is inaccessible outside of your workplace.
Keep an Eye on Unsatisfied Employees
Your unsatisfied employees can bring a lot of damage to you, openly or secretly, by selling your data to a competitor company, or by simply bringing you losses out of revenge or greed. You should be well aware of such employees at all times. Also, try and fix the dispute and work on removing the reason for discontentment. This will solve the problem even before it occurs.
The Two Factor Authentication
This is the extra security measure that you won’t regret even if it saves you once from the incoming trouble. You can protect your sensitive log-ins with a two-factor authentication process, where you have to approve the log-in from another device to confirm the entrance authorization. You can also use this security measure to make your office entrances safe.
Use Data Encryption
This one is simple but essential. You should encrypt your data and store it on any cloud service which you can afford to buy. This way, your data will be safe in case of sudden traffic rush, a system failure, or digital theft.
Third-Party Monitoring System
You can also rely on a third-party monitoring system to make business security management easier for you. There is certain software available in the market that once installed, can notify you when a virus, malware, or a breach occurs in your system. Your documents can undergo changes every day, but it is up to you to monitor regular, every day changes, and notice any irregularities in them.
You should also be able to detect any out of pattern and suspicious behaviors in your employees. A monitoring system can help you, but it cannot point out human behavioral changes before something really out of the line occurs.
Protect Your Perimeter
Ever watched a movie where you had to reach the end to realize that the main culprit was an inside person? We all have. You can always assume that it was an outsider who managed to break in but you should never ignore the possibility of inside help. Guard your premises well, both from the inside and the outside.
Security Insurance Investments are ‘Worth It’
One of the wrong mindsets that put your business in danger is the belief that the money you invest in security is a sort of insurance that is most likely never going to pay you back. It is similar to believing that the budget dedicated to the police force is a waste because nothing wrong is going to happen in the peaceful neighborhood you live in. For instance, I don’t get to use my internet because of my traveling. But that doesn’t mean I cancel my subscription to Spectrum packages. Because I know I may need it as I did a while back when I had to do a quick business proposal change. I had to do the research late at night and I thanked myself for keeping my internet subscription.
A problem doesn’t announce before hitting you so it is good to be prepared.