Knowing how to protect your business from CyberCrime is essential knowledge in today’s business.
Small business is big business to hackers, and you need to be taking this on board if you want your company to fulfill its potential. Far too many small business owners brush over cybersecurity, focussing their time and money to things they think are more pressing. However, in an increasingly digital business arena, the chinks in your armour are going to be numerous, and need to be covered.
Here are a few key points for protecting your business from cybercrime…
Get the Board on Board
No matter how insignificant you think your business’s assets are, cybersecurity needs to get on the board’s agenda as soon as possible. Your brightest and best should always be thinking about the best and worst-case scenarios that can come out of a cyberattack, and make plans for these.
Members of the board with a background in online security or risk management can be a massive help, and your management will have all the right skills to assess the issues thoroughly and communicate them with the employees who are going to be on the frontlines of your business’s security.
Cybersecurity unfortunately isn’t a simple affair anymore, and the more viewpoints and skillsets you can get tackling the issue, the better.
Separate your Data
The best attitude you can take to cybersecurity is anticipating an attack. Don’t think “if it happens”, think “when it happens”. While data recovery and methods of tracking down cyber criminals have come a long way in recent years, you never want to leave even the tiniest of holes for hackers to get through.
The trick to making sure any cyber attacks cause as little damage as possible is forming layers between data. If your customer data is separated from various other kinds of information you have on your servers, then it’s much safer. Take some time to assess what the most valuable pieces of data are at your business, and keep it well hidden, even from your own employees.
The proportion of cyber breaches that originate from an internal party rather than an external one is pretty worrying! You wouldn’t expect a bank to keep all of its bullion in a single vault, and by the same token, you should be separating all your intellectual property to minimise the risk of a damaging cyber attack.
Make Security Part of the Company Culture
Board members obviously hold a lot of sway over the future of the business. However, they can’t do everything themselves. You need to make a point of spreading security awareness in the company culture, by making it a part of everyone’s job. Give all of your workers responsibility, and encourage them to make their voices heard if they have any concerns.
When security’s on everyone’s mind, they’ll ask all the right questions. For example, your hiring manager will be more in-tune with just how much an employee in a given role can steal. They’ll then be more likely to be proactive with a recruitment drive, and make sure you’re taking the right screening measures.
