Fact: On average, a single website is hit with a cyberattack about 94 times every day.
Small business websites are at a higher risk for these attacks because they often lack key protections. This makes it easy for cybercriminals to access all sorts of sensitive business and customer data. And, trust us, they will try everything they can to get to it.
These cyber-attacks can come in the form of malware, ransomware, attacks by bots, phishing emails, and more. But you don’t have to fall victim to them. There are many protections you can put in place to keep these criminals out of your data.
Here are four things you can do right now to ensure that your business is kept out of harm’s reach.
Create Employee Awareness and Action
Ask your employees what the top three most common cybersecurity attacks are. Can they give you a correct and confident answer?
If they can’t, then it might be time to invest in ongoing cybersecurity awareness training for your team. This not only helps them become aware of the different types of cybersecurity attacks out there, but it also ensures that they will be able to recognize threats before it’s too late.
It is also important to ensure that your employees know what to do in the case that they do accidentally open a phishing email or download ransomware to their work computer. What are the first steps they should take? Who should they call? What do they need to do after to make sure this doesn’t happen again?
These are all important processes that can be built through company-wide cybersecurity training and working with a managed IT service to come up with the best plan of action for your company.
Monitor Threats 24/7
We know what you’re thinking, “I don’t have time to do that!” Don’t click away just yet because this is one of the most important things you can do in order to ensure that your company is properly protected from cybersecurity threats and you don’t have to do it alone!
Partnering with a trusted and experienced IT services firm is a sure way to keep your business running without having to constantly worry about being hacked or attacked.
They already have the people and programs in place to perform this kind of work and are experts in the matter, meaning they are able to spot and stop attacks before they happen.
Update Apps Frequently
If you’ve ever gone to update an app on your smartphone, you have definitely encountered this phrase before: Bug Fixes and Performance Improvements.
Sometimes we look at that and say we’ll update it later. The app is running fine, right? So it must not be that important of an update. Unfortunately, this update could be the one thing protecting you from a serious cybersecurity attack.
Hackers are constantly looking for vulnerabilities in the apps and software you use in your day to day business operations.
One example of this is CRM software used to connect your business with the customers. Within this CRM software is stored your customers’ personal data From their email to their password for your website – and, let’s be real, probably many other accounts – sometimes even very specific data such as credit card information or addresses.
These are all things you want to keep protected and companies understand that. So, when they come out with an update, it usually serves as a security patch to a vulnerability they have found within their system. Ignoring these updates can put you at serious risk for stolen data.
Working with an IT services firm is one easy way to fix this issue. They will work to ensure that all of your apps and software are kept up-to-date in order to protect you against hackers who slip through the cracks of an outdated system.
Have A Cybersecurity Handbook
This is going to be the most helpful protection you can put in place for your business. When you have your practices and procedures clearly outlined, you know exactly what to do if your data is ever compromised.
This will also put your team all on the same page when it comes to cybersecurity. They will know that they’re expected to change their passwords every 60-90 days. Have detailed requirements to ensure their passwords are secure. Know who to call when something goes wrong. And have a quick and easy place to look for the information when they can’t remember it.
What’s Next?
Cyber threats will always be out there. They aren’t going away and will only become more advanced throughout the years. The thought is scary, yes, but know that you aren’t in this alone.
While these are some of the practices you can implement today, there are many more that can be built up over time to ensure that your business is protected from anyone trying to cause it harm.
Let a managed IT service such as Queen Consulting and Technologies help keep you safe.
