Lately, hackers have been targeting small businesses as most of the owners think that they won’t be targeted by hackers considering the size of their business. Contrary to this, unlike any Fortune 500 company, small business owners can’t afford to take on the loss due to these cyber attacks.
With this in mind, we are here with this ultimate guide compiled after going through the different guidelines and recommendations by one of the most amazing IT security consulting services out there.
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A Robust Firewall
A firewall is the first line of defense for any business when it comes to protecting its valuable data and restricting the access of its network. Depending too much on the stock firewall that you get from your network provider is a big mistake, which is why investing in next-gen firewalls is a smart choice. Moreover, protecting your remote workers via the Firewall is how you can keep your data safe from unauthorized access.
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Multi-Factor Authentication
Multi-factor authentication is another great way through which you can add an extra layer of security to your file. Through multi-factor authentication, users must enter the password besides another method of authentication. Generally, businesses use one-time passcodes that provide the user with limited-time access to the data. This allows businesses to monitor all the logins while avoiding suspicious login into their network.
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Daily/Weekly Backups
A good backup policy is recommended by every IT cybersecurity service out there. Depending upon the volume of data that your business deal with, you can set up daily or weekly backup schedules that will ensure the overall safety of your critical data in the event of cyberattacks like a ransomware attack.
Besides creating the backup copies, testing out those backup files is important so that you will be able to recover all the critical files and data for your business. Following 3-2-1 strategy here, where you create 3 backup copies in 2 different types of media platforms along with 1 offsite copy.
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Up-To-Date Software And Firmware
Even the best security and operating systems have vulnerabilities, this is why software patches are regularly released to correct all those flaws that are being exploited by hackers actively. Keeping your software and firmware updated and running will definitely help you reduce the chances of cyberthreats.
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Network Segmentation
Segmentation of the network by dividing it into subnetworks should be a standard practice of business that not only improves the security but also helps with the overall performance of the network.
Moreover, you can prevent free access between different segments of the network that will ensure that in case of a cyberattack, the attacker never gets complete access to the network. This is going to limit the damage and will also help your cybersecurity department to take proper measures in time. Here, limiting the access to network/data that your employees do not use on a daily basis is another good step towards cybersecurity.
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Using A Spam Filter And Web Filter
Without a doubt, phishing is the biggest cyber threat that small businesses face. A single email can disrupt the whole network in no time. Using an advanced spam filter for your emails will improve the overall productivity of your business while blocking all the suspicious emails.
Similarly, there are highly advanced web filters that protect your business from web-based attacks by blocking websites hosting malware.
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Security Training
Lastly, not everyone is an IT wizard, which is why providing your employees with proper training on how they can keep themselves and their data safe online becomes crucial. Besides that, enforcing password policies will help them add an additional layer of security to their data.
Parting Words
With everything going digital, keeping all of your data safe and secure is crucial to sustaining any business. Hopefully, all these tips will make a difference in the cybersecurity of your business.
