Cybersecurity Best Practices You Can Implement Today To Protect Your Small Business
Introduction
The year 2020 has been all but pleasant, to say the least, and staying safe took a whole new meaning. However, while wearing a mask and washing hands became more important than ever, taking care of your cybersecurity hygiene is as important as it always was.
COVID-19 didn’t stop hacks, security breaches, and computer viruses, so you better be proactive and protect your business. This post will give you cyber-security best practices you can implement today to protect your small business from unwanted attacks. While cyber-security is complicated, based on our vast experience within the field, implementing these simple tips will be a great first step in bolstering your IT defenses, so read along.
Educate Your Employees About Internet Hygiene During Remote Work
COVID-19 forced many businesses to switch to working remotely, which is actually not a bad thing per se. Besides social distancing, remote work offers some advantages, such as diminishing office costs and saving commute time. However, it has some disadvantages, and one of them is the security risks of running your business online.
The fact is that your employee’s home networks and computers are not as safe as those you have in your office. Therefore, it is up to you to establish some remote work and Internet hygiene standards to ensure none of your team members compromise your business’s security. Because, no matter how strong the system is, as long as there are humans involved in it, there will be errors.
Beware Of Popups, Suspicious Links, And Emails From Unknown Sources
When using the Internet, it is always good to be suspicious of everything, even though it sounds paranoid. But, whenever a popup shows, or you get an email, it is important to double-check everything before clicking anything, and your employees should do the same.
For example, if you get an email that’s telling you that you have a new Facebook message with a link that opens it, don’t click it! That might be a phishing attempt.
Hackers often create pages that look exactly like Facebook (or other sites you want to log in to), giving you the login window, which tricks you into entering your password. Then, when they get your login information, they can use it to steal your profile. The same can happen with your email, which can lead to things like stolen bank account information, which will create an enormous amount of headaches.
And, when you consider that your employees can compromise your business data the same way, the stakes are even higher, which is why it is essential to prevent attacks from happening in the first place.
Use Cloud Backup And Apps
While you are probably using some cloud apps already, when working remotely, you should insist on your employees to use apps with cloud backup exclusively. For example, if you are using a lot of text files, you should insist that your team uses Google Docs or Microsoft Word with OneDrive backup on.
The reason why is simple – when you are working from the office, if one of the computer malfunctions, your team members can get help or a replacement quickly, which is not the case when they work from home. But, if you are using cloud apps, even if their computer fails, everything is saved in the cloud instantaneously, so no data is lost, and the work is instantly available for other team members.
Bottom Line: DIY Cybersecurity Measures Matter, But Leave Your IT Security To Pros
Making sure that your team members are well educated and prepared for remote work is important, but nothing can replace having a team of professionals with years of experience ready to provide prompt IT support.
BV Group Tech will make sure your small business stays protected against all security threats, whether you work from the office or remotely. We will install the latest antivirus protection, configure the computers, and provide regular maintenance to ensure your data is protected. Contact us today, and never worry about IT issues again!
