With the numerous high-profile cases of cyber threats that we’ve observed in the last decade, many small business owners tend to assume that data breaches won’t impact their company, simply due to their size. But an entity of any size, in any industry, is at risk of falling victim to hackers or other digital security issues. Thankfully there are lots of quick and easy precautions that most businesses can take in order to limit their chances of being successfully targeted. So, if you’re a small business owner, here’s our advice for strengthening your online security.
Understanding Platform Security
For a website, a large number of businesses use specially designed platforms because they enable access from a variety of locations and users quickly and easily. Typically, this means that everything is easily accessible from a business’ cloud-based system.
However, if your digital presence isn’t thoroughly secured you are at some risk of a possible security breach by using popular virtual platforms. One solution to help improve platform security is to utilize Identity and Access Management tools. These ease concerns about cyber security by managing your business site, which can help limit associated risk.
Password Strength
It’s vital that your business recognises the need for strong and secure passwords. After all, if one password is compromised, it could put your entire online presence at risk. Therefore, it’s recommended that each team member who has access to company accounts is given training on what makes a strong password that’s unlikely to be hacked. When done successfully, your business should be far more secure and you can be more confident when operating online, knowing your staff are awake of password security risks.
Installing and Updating Anti-Virus Software
It goes without saying that your business needs anti-virus software. It’s a hugely effective security measure that automatically identifies any online threats, and has subsequently become a universal feature of online commerce.
And yet, what many don’t realise is that it’s only effective when installed on every system and kept fully up-to-date. Indeed, the effectiveness is decreased considerably if either of these two criteria aren’t met. Updates are especially important, as these tend to include bug fixes and crucial tweaks, which allows the software to work at its full potential. In short, you open your platform up to cyber-attacks that put your secure data at risk if you and your staff don’t have up-to-date anti-virus software on all devices.
