Why Prioritizing Cybersecurity is Needed for Small Businesses
As a small business owner your days are likely filled with a million different tasks just to keep your company afloat. The number of items on your to-do list can quickly become overwhelming and occasionally certain things can fall by the wayside. One area that many small businesses ignore is cybersecurity. This can however be a major problem seeing that according to a 2019 Verizon Study, 43% of cyber crimes targeted small businesses. At Unified Network Group, we help businesses of all sizes keep their employees, clients and data safe. Learn more about why a strong stance on cybersecurity can go a long way towards helping your business survive and thrive.
Top Cybersecurity Risks for Small Businesses
Below are just a few of the top cyber threats that small businesses should have on their radar:
- People – This may be a bit of a surprise, but the biggest threat to most small businesses when it comes to a cyber threat is the very people who work in the company. Whether it’s falling for a phishing scam, downloading a fraudulent email attachment, or falling victim to some type of email scam, employees are often a company’s biggest liability when it comes to cyber threats.
- Bring Your Own Device – Many companies are adopting BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) policies which allows employees to use their own mobile devices. While BYOD initiatives may save money in the short term, they can often open businesses up to all types of security risks. It’s critical that you have a strict BYOD policy that outlines rules for utilizing virtual private networks, 2FA (two factor authentication) and other security features that should be required if an employee is allowed to use their own mobile device.
- Software Updates – Many cyber threats prey on outdated software, especially machines running Windows. Your IT team should always keep an eye on security updates and patches to ensure all machines within your company are properly protected from the latest cyber threats.
- Passwords – Ensure all of your employees use strong passwords, and two factor authentication if at all possible. Also make sure that employees understand that they should never reuse passwords from any of their personal accounts. In addition, you can have passwords expire every 30 or 60 days to force employees to keep their passwords updated.
Interested in Updating Your Company’s Cybersecurity Policies?
If your current cybersecurity policies are outdated or nonexistent, it’s time to reach out to the team at Unified Network Group for help. We’ll be happy to sit down with you and take a look at your IT needs and determine how best to keep your employees and your customers safe from cyber attacks. Give us a call today at 864-278-0202 to setup a free, no obligation cybersecurity consultation.
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