Were you aware that October is Cybersecurity Awareness Month? Held every October, it is a collaborative effort between government and industry to raise awareness about the importance of cybersecurity and to ensure that all Americans have the resources they need to be safer and more secure online. There’s no better time for businesses to review how they are handling their company data than now. In this article, we will be discussing tips and tricks your business can use to prevent cyber-attacks.

A small business owner came to us a few years back to discuss ways he could enhance his outdated technology infrastructure. When we sat down with him, we were surprised to find out he was not taking proper steps to ensure his company data was protected. He felt that because he was a smaller business, he did not need to take many precautions when it came to protecting his business. He believed having fewer financial resources and a relatively unknown brand worked in his favor to ward off hackers. There are many small business owners who have the same mentality.  It is important to understand that just because you are a small business, does not mean you aren’t at risk for cyber-attacks. According to Juniper's research, “small businesses makeup 13% of the entire cybercrime market, yet are only investing less than $500 in cybersecurity.” It is quite common for small business owners to not pay attention to cybersecurity, thinking they’re not even worth being attacked, which makes them the perfect target. Here are a few cybersecurity tips your business can use to ensure you do not become another statistic.  

1. Establish Clear Security Protocols. How are you going to protect your business? Sit down and write it out. With advice from CDP, we can help you prepare a detailed plan for protecting your network and hardware.
2. Train Employees When It Comes to Email. The most common way to invade your system is through email. Studies show employees receive at least one phishing email a day. Don’t assume everyone knows what to look out for. It only takes one click to let the hackers in. Hold a training session to teach and inform your employees.
3. Use unique and complex passwords for every account you maintain. If thieves compromise one of your accounts, they will often use the same information to try and access others.
4. Never use public wi-fi to access finances or company data. Public places such as the mall or airport are not the best places to login to your bank account or view personal information.
5. Update software for all your company devices as soon as possible. Software updates provide the latest security patches, yet we often do not take the time or consider it is important to do so. Schedule automatic, regular updates for all software, including programs related to operating systems, email programs, servers, firewalls, network security, etc.
6. Regularly Back Everything Up. Don’t forget to back up every piece of data you could ever need. Schedule automatic backups so you can’t get behind and store the information securely.

If you are failing to protect your business from cybersecurity threats, you are at risk of losing critical company information while also damaging your brand. According to InsuranceBee’s Cyber Survey, “83% of SMBs lack the funds to deal with the repercussions of a cyber-attack.” It is very common for these organizations to go out of business within a year of an attack. We have been helping businesses like yours for over a decade to ensure their company data is secure. Contact Communications Deployment Partners today to learn how we can help!