Your small business is your livelihood. It may be your entire family’s sole source of income. What would happen if your business information was stolen or held ransom? Has your IT support company put these elements in place to protect you? It’s no longer something that happens only to big business who store credit cards on their servers, it happens to businesses large and small. Do you have a recovery plan or the tens of thousands of dollars often needed to buy back your business data? Few small businesses have a plan in place. Here are some things you can do to lower your risk of going out of business because of a cyber-attack.
Keep Up with Technology
Many breaches occur every day because business owners and employees don’t install updates and patches for their software when they become available. Microsoft and other companies release updates when they find a way to improve their product. These improvements include fixing flaws in the older version that allows hackers to penetrate your network with malware, viruses, or ransomware. If you see an update, make sure every employee installs it as soon as it is available.
Firewalls, Passwords, and Encryption
Your networks should have a firewall with the latest packet, circuit, and application layer technology, plus a strong proxy server. Older firewalls were packet only and aren’t sufficient for today’s sophisticated hackers. Consider updating yours if it’s outdated.
Although passwords may protect your data to some extent, they aren’t failsafe. Hackers know that users tend to use the same password over and over again making them easy to obtain. Consider multi-level authentication.
If you haven’t installed data encryption software and you send sensitive data data across the web, you are endangering both your company and either the individuals or businesses whose data you’re sending. Encryption software isn’t expensive, but it can save your business from losses and lawsuits. Ask your IT professional about your encryption software if you’re not aware of what you’re using.
Back-Up Your Data
Where is your data backed up? Do you have it in a secure off-site location? If all your business information is on a server in your facility and a fire destroys your server, what will happen to your business? Will you be able to recover that information? When ransomware takes over your server and you’re unable to work for days or weeks until you come up with the funds and your data is released, will your business be able to recover or will your customers have already found a new company to work with? Back-up systems and programs may seem expensive but this small investment can save your business.
If you’re unsure about how your company stands against hackers and malware, contact Toucan Technology Group. We’re your local IT support company and can help you protect your network, and business, from losing data, hackers, and ransomware. Call 317-376-4874 or fill out our contact from for more information.
