Whether your business is established or a start-up, a small one or a large, corporate affair, consisting of a few employees or thousands of staff, it may still be targeted by cyber-attacks or scammers. Last year alone showed that 47% of small businesses experienced a cyber-attack and had grounds to suggest that external threats tend to target small to medium-sized companies instead of those of a more substantial size. Scammers usually target smaller organisations because they are less established and may not have an adequate cyber security system in place, unlike larger, wealthier companies who have a better understanding of the potential scams and threats their business could face, therefore making smaller organisations an ideal target for individuals with malicious intent.
As a result, it’s more important than ever for businesses to review their cyber security systems and make the necessary adjustments so that company data can be protected and its threats are minimised. Various options are available for businesses to protect their cyber security, from varying software or accessories designed to keep out external threats to outsourced server support in Birmingham. Protecting your business doesn’t have to be difficult, which is why we’ve created this article outlining several cyber security tips to protect your company from cyber-attacks and minimise the risks associated with them.
Provide Training For Your Employees
One way to protect your company from potential scams and cyber-attacks is by educating your staff body on the importance of cyber security, the prospective outcomes of a breach and the usage of safe working practices to ensure that risks are kept to a minimum. As a starting point, you could establish rules or a cyber security policy within your workplace for all employees to follow and police them so that they are adhered to. You could also provide training on some common cyber security risks that employees may encounter, such as phishing or malware, and how to identify these scams or when to ask for help if they are unsure. Ensuring that staff members can place a counterfeit phone call or email and how external threats could trick them into revealing sensitive information such as company credentials etc., will help to safeguard the organisation and prevent accidental internal security breaches.
Use Anti-Virus Software And Firewalls
The usage of anti-virus software or firewalls is a prevalent cyber security measure in both business and daily life, the implication of which would serve as a valuable asset to your cyber security system. Alongside protecting your computer or computing system from the transmission of viruses, anti-virus software can also protect your business against spam or ads, protects your documents or data, and defend you from hackers and untrusted removable devices. Although anti-virus software can do all this, you should first consider the implication of a firewall so that the risk of these external threats is minimised from the start. As well as utilising anti-virus software and firewalls, your business could consider outsourcing companies that offer computer support in Birmingham for more advice on cyber security and how to optimise your current systems. Consider enlisting the services of managed IT support providers such as Geek-Guru; their services are designed to suit all your business’s cyber security needs and will be able to help you check over your existing system or make adjustments.
Perform Routine Data Backups And Encryptions
Businesses with the best-performing cyber security systems perform routine data backups and encrypt all documents and files, so if anything does go awry, a backup solution is available to fall back on. Failing to perform regular data backups puts your business at serious risk if you were to fall victim to a cyber-attack, as not only would you lose valuable business data, but you could also lose sensitive information about customers and employees, which would be extremely hard to rebuild from scratch. As an additional security measure, it’s standard for most businesses to encrypt all files and documents, primarily if the company handles personally identifiable information (PII) like names, dates of birth, addresses or billing information. In the unlikely event that sensitive information did fall into the wrong hands, the company would be liable for any leaked or shared data and could face legal action. Therefore, encrypting this kind of information is vital to protect business data. So, if a computer was stolen or a cyber-attack occurred, the data stolen wouldn’t be of use as it would be unreadable.
Keep Software Up To Date
Another tip for protecting your business against cyber-attacks is installing the latest software and keeping it up to date. Running older versions of programmes can expose your company to scammers that can try and exploit the fact that your programmes aren’t up to date and gain access to your company network to steal data or cause damage. To prevent this, strive to install any updates as soon as they become available and ensure that the update is applied on all devices.