It seems like every time you turn on the news these days, you hear about another cyber-security breach. Last week, the ransomware “Wannacry” affected users in more than 150 countries, crippling hospitals, banks… even government entities. What is the small business owner to do?
Turns out there are some important steps every business, no matter the size, should take. And personal computer users need to take heed, too.
No one is immune. We are all “connected” – so we are all vulnerable. The US Department of Justice recently released a study that showed that 17.6 million Americans will experience some form of identity theft each year – much of it through cyber-attacks.
So - what steps can you take today to make sure you’re not a victim of the next attack?
Be smart. Be safe. Be skeptical of emails from unknown users or anything with an attachment. By taking a few simple steps, you can go a long way towards protecting your business and your clients.
Turns out there are some important steps every business, no matter the size, should take. And personal computer users need to take heed, too.
No one is immune. We are all “connected” – so we are all vulnerable. The US Department of Justice recently released a study that showed that 17.6 million Americans will experience some form of identity theft each year – much of it through cyber-attacks.
So - what steps can you take today to make sure you’re not a victim of the next attack?
- Understand your data. Know where it resides: is it on a server? A PC? In the cloud? If you don’t know where it is, you’re going to have a lot more trouble recovering it if the worst should happen
- Back up, back up, back up! You can’t back up too much or too often. I use an external hard drive to back up my most critical data every night - it’s the last think I do before I leave the office. Then I use a cloud-based backup service to back up everything on my PC every 24 hours (my pictures of my dog are important too!)
- Use an encryption program to safeguard your email. This is sometimes available through your email service (like Gmail or Outlook) or can be accomplished using third-party software. The use of unencrypted email may be the number one security threat facing small businesses today
- Implement the appropriate controls and procedures. Make sure everyone in your organization uses strong passwords and changes them periodically. Have a system in place in the event your data is breached. Limit the programs that can be loaded onto company computers.
- Hire a professional. I’m a sole proprietor, and I have an IT person. You don’t need to a whole department – but you DO need someone who makes it their business to make sure your data is safe. It is worth the investment so that I can focus on my job, and not on my data
- Purchase a cyber insurance policy. One local practitioner learned the hard way… a breach of his client data in the middle of tax season cost him hundreds of thousands of dollars to rectify. Depending on the nature of your business, you may need to purchase credit protection for your clients if sensitive date is breached (remember the Anthem breach? It was reported that it cost them well in excess of $100 million). You will likely incur additional IT costs if you are impacted. The insurance is relatively inexpensive, but the benefits, should you ever need them, will be huge
Be smart. Be safe. Be skeptical of emails from unknown users or anything with an attachment. By taking a few simple steps, you can go a long way towards protecting your business and your clients.
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