Protecting Your Business: It Takes More than Software

Protecting Your Business: It Takes More than Software

When it comes to keeping your business and its valuable data safe, your security systems and software aren’t the only things you should prioritize. More than firewalls and internet restrictions, employee education is the key to keeping your data safe. In the following few paragraphs, we’ll touch on all of the above. While no single article can give you all the information you need, these crucial points can get you started and help you launch your cybersecurity efforts.

Scams and the internet

Fifty years ago, one of the worst forms of fraud we had to worry about was accepting a bad check, but now, the internet has given criminals an open door to our businesses 24/7. A quick look at the Federal Trade Commission website reveals pages and pages of information on recent scams, many which target small businesses. But why?

Small businesses often don’t have a dedicated IT department and don’t have the advanced networks and systems to prevent infiltration. They’re more likely to utilize cloud-based data storage as opposed to a private server, and there are many more small businesses than large corporations, meaning more targets. Further, small businesses may believe they aren’t at risk or that they don’t have data that crooks would deem valuable. Unfortunately, this isn’t the case, and there is plenty of information criminals can use, and it is often freely given.

If you’re thinking that no one in your company would intentionally provide information to anyone other than a trusted business partner or someone within your organization, you’re probably right. However, data breaches are often initiated via social engineering attacks. This is a form of phishing scheme designed to evoke emotions in a victim – an employee – and convince them to freely give up information. These attacks are set up to convince your staff that they’re responding to your company’s leadership team or another trustworthy party, such as the IRS or bank.

Education is essential

Scams that target small businesses are everywhere and can come in the form of fake tech support, IRS alerts, or past-due invoice reminders. Scammers are smart and may have done their homework, even having plenty of personal or professional details that make the communication look legitimate.

In addition to setting up spam filters, firewalls, and anti-virus software, you must train your employees to recognize potential issues. To drive home the point, use a free pamphlet template and add your own text and imagery to highlight some useful information and warning signs. Red flags include being prompted to enter your username and password directly from an email, broken English and poor grammar, and emails coming from an unknown extension. Since the sender dictates their display name, the recipient may blindly click it, since it looks familiar. Remind employees to hover over the sender name – or double-click, depending on your email program – to see who it’s from before clicking any links or providing a response.

Employees should further be instructed never to download software that’s not expressly requested by the company. US News & World Report notes that you should never download software through a third party. As your company grows, it’s also wise to send managers and tech staff to security conferences, which are often open to beginners. These types of events range in price from around $100 up to $2,500 or more, and it’s best to secure a spot early, since many sell out months in advance.

Recovery plan

Despite all the precautions you take, your business may suffer a cyberattack at some point, which is why it’s essential to prepare for this event so you can mitigate the damage and recover your data as soon as possible. In addition to cybersecurity tools that help protect your small business from cyberattacks, you’ll need a solid recovery plan that will ensure you’ll be able to quickly resume business operations after being attacked. The most effective plans will allow your business to create advanced policies and guidelines for employees, frequently test your plan’s effectiveness, and manage all your data on one interface.

Your employees are your strongest assets, but they can also be weak links when it comes to allowing your valuable information to fall into the hands of unscrupulous individuals. Combined with digital security efforts, such as two-step verification, server redundancy, and updated anti-virus software, informed employees are your best first defense against scams.

Spice Catalyst offers professional development and mentoring to help your organization be more productive and profitable. Call (408) 892-5025 to learn more!

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