If you own a small business, you may think that cybercriminals would not be interested in stealing your data. The reality is, that SMBs are targeted specifically by cybercriminals because they know SMBs are the easiest, most vulnerable targets to attack.
You may think your business doesn’t hold the same type of sensitive information as a large business, however, cybercriminals are betting that your SMB doesn’t have the same safeguards in place as large corporations. Cybercriminals consider SMBs as “low-hanging fruit” because they often lack the technical resources and expertise to maintain strong security defences.
To help your SMB’s cybersecurity, follow these 6 steps:
- Start with a cybersecurity assessment. Before you begin to secure your business, you need to understand what the threats are and where you are most vulnerable to attack. Once you understand the cybersecurity gaps that need to be fixed, you can begin working on the next step.
- Find your ‘desired state’ definition for cybersecurity. What do you think cybersecurity should look like for your organization? What are the gaps in the current state that need to be addressed? Once you can answer these questions, you can start to build your plan. Your desired state and needs will be constantly changing, as cybersecurity is an evolving process. There is no such thing as being “done” when it comes to cybersecurity.
- Build a remediation plan to document which vital assets need protection. You will need to plan how you will close security gaps to keep attackers out of your network. Knowing what your most important assets are will help you decide where you need to put the most resources and effort. With a remediation plan, you will know which areas are critical to protecting first.
- Create a formal cybersecurity policy and follow it! Ensure your entire company knows the cybersecurity policy and what the expectations are. Your policy at minimum needs to include using strong passwords, multifactor authentication, remote access, and an intrusion response plan. Remember it’s ok to update policies when technology and situations change. In fact, updates are necessary, as COVID-19 taught us. Before the pandemic, many cyber security policies didn’t address remote workers.
- Conduct an annual or semi-annual audit & penetration test. Threats and technology change constantly. This is why businesses need to be able to validate the soundness of their defences regularly. Remember to remediate any weaknesses found during the audit and penetration test. Those results can be used to update remediation plans and cybersecurity policies as well.
- Work with trustworthy cybersecurity professionals. Your core business is not cybersecurity. It makes sense to engage with cybersecurity experts to help you execute some or all these steps. For best results, look for professionals who have a proven track record with SMBs. They will be best at understanding your needs and budget.
Even though cybersecurity is not your core business, it is still an important part of your business. Just like you may hire a bookkeeper to look after your finances, you also need to have a cybersecurity professional or two to help ensure your business is protected from cyber threats. Quick Intelligence’s QuickProtect understands the needs of SMBs and will provide a solution that ensures you are protected.
