Congratulations! Your small business is celebrating one of the many national small business weeks to come and Geeks on Site would like to take the opportunity to celebrate the outstanding impact of all you entrepreneurs and small business owners.
We know what it’s like – being a small business – and it isn’t always easy. Today is the day to not only rejoice, but take advantage of all the tremendous opportunities out there. With that said – now is the time to take cyber security by the threshold and wipe away any possible vulnerability your digital network might be lingering.
There are over 28 million small businesses in America, and over the last four years, cyber thieves have increasingly targeted them. In the last two years, one in five small and midsize businesses reported that they were victims of a cyber-attack. On top of that, nearly 43% of cyber-attacks worldwide were made against small businesses with less than 250 employees. Alarming? Yes.
Small business owners, employees and customers need to have the confidence that their data and information are secure. Here are a few simple tips to help your business continue to excel with minimal risk:
- Create a cyber-security plan. Determine a cyber-security that includes a planning guide, action plan and disaster plan. This way, your small business can be properly prepared, as much as possible.
- Establish cyber security guidelines for employees. Educate and establish a clear understanding of how to handle and protect company information. Clearly detail the penalties for violating rules once they have a clear understanding of how to safely use social media, leave their computer when in the bathroom, and so forth.
- Provide regular maintenance work on business PCs and MACs, as well as other network devices. This includes:
- Updating software when it comes available.
- Protecting against viruses, malware, spyware and other malicious codes.
- Consult an expert if there is any patch work that might be needed.
- Consider potential risks and continue to manage them as they arise. Continually ask yourself, “What is it that we have to protect?” and reevaluate on a continual basis.
- Control and monitor network usage. Prevent unauthorized individuals from accessing the use of a business computer or laptop. For example, set up individual user accounts.
- Create a secure Wi-Fi network for both the company, and its guests. Make sure that your small business Wi-Fi network is secure and doesn’t have an obvious name (SSID). Make sure to configure your wireless access point or router so it does not provide a broadcast network name.
These steps will help your small business stay protected and on track for another successful/celebratory National Small Business Week to come. For help creating security procedures, or otherwise protecting your small business information and data, call in the experts at Geeks on Site. We’re available in person or online 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.