Nearly everyone has heard about a friend, co-worker, or family member who has been hacked. Some of us have even been unfortunate enough to have experienced being cyber attacked.
But if you own a business, the idea of being hacked is even more scary. That’s because if it happens, it could sink your business. The good news is that there are measures you can take in order to prevent a cyber-attack from ruining your business.
Educate
Thinking your business won’t be attacked at some point is like sticking your head in the sand and figuring if you can’t see anyone then they can’t see you either. Which is to say, it’s just silly.
The facts are that small businesses are often targets of hackers because they don’t always have the resources prevent a cyber-attack. But, as the saying goes, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Therefore, if you don’t know much about cyber-attacks, you should educate yourself. Then you can pass on the knowledge to any employees you may have.
There are many different ways you can learn about cyber-attacks. There are books, classes, online articles, magazine articles, and more. Read as much as you can and share the knowledge you learn. An even better idea is to hold a class or seminar. Invite a guest speaker who is an expert in the topic to educate your employees. Teaching them can keep them from unintentionally allowing a hacker into your computer system.
Create Policies
Whether educated or not, it only takes one mistake for a hacker to enter your system. This can wreak havoc on your business and your finances. After teaching your staff to be wary of clicking on unknown or suspicious business e-mails and links, put policies into place prohibiting employees from using business computers and other assets to browse the internet for non-business purposes.
Some things to include are restrictions on the release of information, as well as making it mandatory to change passwords on a regular basis. Make certain passwords are strong. Require them to be long with combinations of letters, numbers, and symbols.
Keep Up on Computer Updates
Install computer updates regularly and watch for flaws in your software that could be a door for hackers to invade your system. Sometimes updates can make it more difficult for a cyber-criminal to gain access to your data. So, it’s important to do updates regularly.
Many software packages include offers for you to sign up for automatic updates. So, take advantage of them to save yourself some time trying to keep up with these updates on your own.
Take Security Measures
Firewalls and anti-virus software are available to help you prevent data breaches from happening. Installing these measures can help you keep track of the information that is coming and going from your business computers. They can also help protect your system from viruses, malware, spyware, worms, and other programs that could take down your computers and ruin your business. You can also lock your network to further protect against cyber invaders.
Building Security
Some data breaches happen because buildings are broken into and computers are stolen. Lock buildings and install security lighting. In addition, consider a security system. Security systems are cheaper than ever and easy to install. All of these measures can deter thieves from stealing equipment and hacking into your business software and finances.
Learning how to prevent a cyber-attack from ruining your business is not enough. Put these measures into use and make yourself a less desirable target for would be cyber criminals.
