Cybercriminals are increasingly targeting small businesses because they (often correctly) assume their defenses and security protection are not as strong as larger companies. In a survey of small to medium-sized businesses, 78% of respondents indicated they had been the target of a cyber attack. While protection against cybercrime is becoming a growing threat for small business owners, its complexity is stopping businesses from adopting strategies to protect themselves.
One of the first steps a business can take in protecting themselves is to develop a business-wide policy so everyone knows that cyber security is a priority. If cyber security is thought of as strictly an IT issue, it doesn’t send the message that it’s a top priority. Establishing and communicating responsibilities at every level of the business is vital to building strong corporate security.
Another way businesses can protect themselves is to put in place an ongoing, manual maintenance procedure to constantly check for vulnerabilities at a given time. While anti-malware software may stop many of the malicious attacks on your computers (provided you keep them up to date), it can also give a false sense of security. They also don’t stop the insider threat of someone letting an attacker in.
While protecting against cybercrime can seem complicated, implementing a strong cyber security strategy is key for small businesses to keep running smoothly.
Adam leads the Itopia team in Brisbane, helping professional-services firms get secure, productive and confident with their technology, in plain English.