Cybersecurity can sound intimidating, particularly for a small business without its own IT department. Fortunately, improving security doesn’t always require expensive equipment or complicated systems.
Several basic practices can significantly reduce unnecessary risk.
Use multifactor authentication
A password alone provides limited protection if it becomes compromised. Multifactor authentication requires another form of verification before allowing access.
It should be enabled wherever practical, particularly for email, financial services, cloud storage and administrative accounts.
Keep software updated
Security vulnerabilities are routinely discovered in operating systems, applications and website software. Updates often contain fixes for those vulnerabilities.
Delaying updates indefinitely can leave a system exposed to problems for which a solution already exists.
Back up important information
A backup should protect information from hardware failure, accidental deletion and security incidents such as ransomware.
Important information should be backed up regularly and at least one copy should be separated from the systems it protects.
And remember: a backup you have never tested is partly a statement of faith.
Limit access
Not everyone needs administrative privileges.
Employees and applications should generally have access only to the information and systems necessary for their responsibilities. Limiting privileges can reduce the damage caused by both mistakes and compromised accounts.
Train the people using the technology
People remain an important part of information security. Employees should know how to recognize suspicious messages, unexpected login requests and attempts to obtain passwords or sensitive information.
Technical safeguards are important, but they work best when the people using the systems understand basic security practices.
Security should be part of the design
Cybersecurity is easier to manage when it is considered from the beginning rather than added after a system has already been built.
Whether developing a website, database or internal application, decisions about authentication, access control, data protection, backups and system maintenance should be part of the original design.
For small businesses, good security doesn’t necessarily mean having the most sophisticated technology available. It means understanding the risks, protecting what matters and establishing sensible practices that people can actually follow.
