Any business, no matter the size, can be vulnerable to security breaches. Forty-three percent of data breach victims are small businesses. Whether online or offline, internal or external, the consequences of having a weak security system can be devastating. You either risk getting important data exposed, such as your employee details or customer details. Or you could end up getting your money stolen.
A survey done in 2017 showed that 54% of people believed that data breaches happened due to negligent employees, followed by poor company password policies. In 2019, there were over 3,000 online security breaches that resulted in more than four billion records being affected. The average cost of a stolen record is $150. Even if they didn’t steal money directly from you, you’d still suffer a great financial loss for every record stolen from your business. If you want to avoid this happening to you, you better do whatever you can to strengthen your online and offline security. Here’s how:
Online
-
Educate your employees on data safety.
As mentioned above, employee negligence is believed to be one of the biggest threats to your security. Make sure to include data safety education as part of their training. That means teaching them how to secure their data. Not sharing important data about the business with others. And teaching them how to identify scams, such as phishing scams or dangerous links that could be sent through emails or by visiting sketchy websites.
-
Secure your server.
You can secure your server by setting up firewalls. These are security devices that monitor what goes in and out of your network and blocks potential threats from entering your network. To avoid your data from being lost or stolen. Create a backup of your offsite and secure data, where no one else can reach it but you.
-
Have better company password policies.
Create better password policies. These include complexity requirements, having a minimum number of characters, mixed cases, numbers, and special characters. Make sure that your employees don’t use old passwords or use the same passwords for every account. And require your employees to change passwords regularly. Monthly or weekly will do. Educate them on what a weak password is and how to make it stronger.
-
Install anti-virus software.
Anti-virus or anti-malware software is essential because it prevents, detects, and removes any malware on your computer. Tons of different malware can be spread through your network by downloading unreliable files from the internet, weak security, or homogeneity. Malware can come in the form of a virus, worm, Trojan horses, ransomware, adware, or spyware, to name a few. These can be a nuisance and very dangerous, but proper anti-virus software will help protect you from malware.
-
Hire an IT company to help secure your business.
Suppose you have no idea what to do or don’t trust yourself to install such software. You can always hire an IT company to do it for you (if you don’t have your own IT division). They won’t only install the necessary software to secure your business. They will also handle any IT related problem that may occur.
Offline
-
Get your business insured.
Getting commercial insurance for your business is a must. It’s the law. Without business insurance, you can get sued. Business insurance is also great because it keeps your business up and running if you face a natural calamity. Take the pandemic, for example. Having business insurance at a time like this is crucial. It not only protects your business but your employees as well.
-
Review before you hire.
It’s important to do a background check on the people you interview before you hire them. You don’t have to go very in-depth when reviewing their history. Checking their digital footprint or seeing if they have a good background is essential in any hiring company.
-
Keep track of employee access.
Limit the number of employees who have access to certain documents, data, or even to your physical store itself. If an employee doesn’t need access to certain information, don’t give them access to it. It’s as simple as that.
-
Have a physical security system.
Setup cameras around your store that can record everything 24/7. If you can hire a security guard to watch your store, why not? If a firewall monitors the traffic in your networks, having a security camera will monitor your store’s physical traffic. Both are equally important and will benefit you greatly.
-
Place mirrors around your store.
If you can’t afford to place security cameras at every angle or corner of your store. Place mirrors instead, especially in places where your camera can’t see (blindspot). Placing a mirror in an area seen by the camera and reflecting the blindspots will ensure that you see every angle of your store even with only a few cameras.
Offline and online security are both just as important. You can’t neglect one or the other. You need both. Remember, negligence is what costs you your security. Don’t be too confident that you won’t get hacked or that you won’t get robbed. Anything could happen.
