Technology and the Internet bring huge opportunities and benefits to small businesses, but also risks. Every day UK businesses like yours experience IT security breaches and incidents. According to the 2015 Information security breaches survey 74% of small business have reported security breaches up from 60% a year ago. The survey also found that the total cost of a serious security breach for a small business on average has increased from between £65,000 – £115,000 to between £75,000 – £310,000.
As these threats grow exponentially in frequency, size and cost, it is easy to see why it is extremely important to keep your business safe and protected. Making sure your business has the basic IT security measures in place is vital and will help reduce the risk of cyber threats to your business.
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Staff training and awareness
Network security is only as good as its weakest point – which sadly is most commonly the users. Raising awareness and educating employees about security is extremely important, it will help them recognise potential threats, how they should deal with them and inform them of their responsibilities.
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Use anti-virus software
Install, regularly use and update anti-virus software on all computers, devices and servers it is your last defence in protecting your business from malicious viruses.
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Patch management
Don’t delay updating software and apps, download the update as soon as they appear they will contain security upgrades to guard your business from the latest threats.
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Use strong passwords
Change all manufacturer supplied default passwords to strong secure passwords containing a range of upper and lower case letters, numbers and symbols.
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Delete suspicious emails (phishing)
Fraudsters send out emails pretending to come from well trusted organisations, containing malicious links to websites or attachments in an attempt to infect your devices or trick you into giving away sensitive data.
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Disable unauthorised devices
The use of unauthorised devices poses two main threats, the possibility they could introduce a virus, malware or spyware to your network or be used for data theft.
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Setup an Edge Firewall
Acting as the gateway between your network and the Internet, you can manage and control incoming and outgoing traffic protecting you from threats and vulnerabilities.
