Nearly half of all cybercrime targets small businesses. In fact, approximately 60 percent of all businesses will experience a cyberattack during their lifetime.
And, these attacks have the potential to cripple business operations. In some cases, an attack can cost millions of dollars in lost revenue.
Luckily, there are steps you can take to protect yourself.
Not sure where to start? Don’t worry, we got you covered.
Let’s take a look at everything you need to know about protecting your company’s data security and privacy.
Keep a Backup of Everything
This is one of the most important practices you can implement when it comes to protecting your data.
Unfortunately, you can’t ever have full protection against cyber threats since they are constantly evolving. By having a proper backup of your data, though, you can get limit the amount of downtime your company experiences from an attack.
For example, let’s say your company is struck by a ransomware attack.
Rather than comply with the hacker’s demands in order to get access to your data, you can simply ignore them and restore everything from a recent backup.
Sure, you may lose a bit of progress, but it’s better than losing everything. It’s also better than paying the ransom and facilitating future attacks.
Keep Your Software Updated
Old software exploits are a common reason why small businesses are primary targets for hackers. Whether it’s due to the price or lack of education, many entrepreneurs don’t prioritize using modern software.
But, foregoing the extra money and time spent on secure software could cost you everything.
So, get in the habit of scheduling updates for all the software your company uses. It’s best to do it overnight so that your daily operations aren’t interrupted.
Properly Train Your Employees
While most of us know not to open suspicious emails or click shady links, it’s not impossible for your employees to unknowingly cause a security breach.
Many hackers use tactics that appear completely legitimate, which can result in compromised information that you potentially won’t be aware of for days.
For example, an experienced cybercriminal could send an employee an email that (at a brief glance) appears as if it came directly from you asking for updates on sensitive data.
Then, the employee would unknowingly give the data directly to the hacker. As you can expect, the results could be catastrophic.
As an added measure of security, place restrictions on employee access to data based on merit. Lower-level employees should always have the least amount of access.
Handling Your Business’s Data Security and Privacy Can Seem Difficult
But it doesn’t have to be.
With the above information about company data security and privacy in mind, you’ll be well on your way to keeping your vital info as safe as possible.
Want to learn more about the dangers your company may be facing? This article has plenty of useful information.
