While internet security has been an issue from day one of the web, in recent years cybercrime has spiraled to truly dangerous levels and now creates enough revenue to make it the world’s third-largest economy behind America and China.
The risks from online criminals are significant no matter what size or type of business you run and it’s now crucially important you take proactive steps to ensure your company’s safety – and that of your clients – when operating on the internet.
The dangers posed to SMEs
While many Small to Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) consider their firm to be too small or their revenue too insignificant to be a target for cybercriminals, actually the opposite is true and the SME sector is the most at risk from falling victim to online crime. Often criminals will make malicious attacks on SMEs due mainly to inadequate protection or poor security practices so it’s essential you take precautions to mitigate the dangers.
How you can increase your protection online
Internet security needn’t be a time-consuming chore and even employing some common-sense tactics can greatly increase your online protection:
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Work with a respected and recognized online security company:
By far the best way of protecting your company from unwanted data breaches or malicious attacks is to hire the services of a professional data protection company like this Magento agency Los Angeles. Working with a specialist security company takes the hassles out of operating safely online and will give you complete peace of mind with frequent back-ups and comprehensive, regular audits to improve your protection levels.
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Educate your staff:
Humans are the weakest link when it comes to online security and it’s estimated that around 90% of all successful web breaches occur as a result of the ignorance or negligence of staff. Consequently, you must provide thorough training and education for your employees to understand the dangers of everything from suspect emails to weak passwords. You should insist all workers use only strong, alphanumeric passwords and also keep them up-to-date with emerging threats such as phishing attacks in the workplace (one of the most common ways hackers now gain access to corporations). You should also make them aware of the considerable dangers presented by Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) policies in your company. As increasing numbers of firms allow their staff to use their own devices (e.g. cell phones, tablets, watches, laptops, etc) on their private networks, they open themselves up to huge risks from potentially infected tech. You should seek professional advice from a security firm if you allow staff free access to your network.
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Employ antivirus protection, firewalls and other network protection:
At the most basic level, you should ensure your company has adequate network and antivirus protection. Check online for the best providers.
Set up different access rights for your most sensitive data: Giving employees free access to all your company’s files isn’t just unnecessary – it could also be dangerous. At any given time, most of your staff will only need to use documents pertinent to their particular role in your firm, so don’t give them server-wide access to everything you store. Consider setting up different access rights for your data, each tier with its own protection, to limit the potential for hackers to run riot should they manage to gain access.
