Six cybersecurity best practices for your small to medium business

Cybersecurity can be a big problem for small to medium businesses (SMBs). In fact, SMBs account for 43 percent of all cybercrime targets.

And as SMBs increasingly rely on the online world for their day-to-day activities, the potential for systems to be compromised or a loss or breach of data continues to increase. The good news is that business owners can substantially reduce the risk of cyber-attacks by exercising good cyber hygiene.

Here are six cybersecurity best practices for your small to medium business:

Number 1: Take stock of your hardware and software

By documenting these, you will find it easier to hone in on vulnerabilities. For example, unused hardware should be securely wiped and disposed of properly. Likewise, software and apps need to be updated regularly or uninstalled.

Number 2: Educate employees

Your employees are at the frontline of your business. As such, it is critical that they are aware of and sufficiently trained on your company’s network security policies.

Number 3: Enforce using safe passwords

According to the Verizon 2016 Data Breach Investigations Report, 63 percent of data breaches happened due to lost, stolen or weak passwords. Strong passwords consist of upper- and lowercase letters, numbers and symbols. All passwords should be changed every 60 to 90 days.

Number 4: Use multi-factor authentication (MFA)

MFA adds an extra layer of security on top of passwords, providing an additional barrier for an attacker to breach. This is typically done by generating a one-time token (or code) that is sent to the authorised user to enter when logging in.

Number 5: Regularly backup all data

While it’s important to prevent as many attacks as possible, it is still possible to be breached regardless of your precautions. Be sure to also back up all data stored on the cloud.

Number 6: Install anti-virus software

It is essential to have an anti-virus tool installed on all devices and the network, particularly to help protect against phishing attacks.

Conclusion

​Securing your business, its data and infrastructure, isn’t a one-off effort – it requires an ongoing commitment to good cyber hygiene practices.

Please call Simon or one of our team today on +61 2 9409 7000 to find out more.