When you’re running a small business, it can feel like you have a million and one things to juggle, and a lot of the time you really do, so I can fully understand that security, above and beyond the basics, might not be the most important thing on your mind. However, in this day and age, business security really is of the utmost importance, and that doesn’t just apply to the big guns –it’s important to small businesses too.
If your think you and your business could be more security conscious, here are some small business security tips to help you improve things starting now:
Create Staff ID
If you want to ensure that your office building is as safe as possible, it’s a good idea to create staff Id Cards. These don’t have to be expensive – you can visit lanyardsusa.com and have laminated ID cards printed up online for very little – but you should have some way of identifying who should and should not be in the building quickly and you should have a staff member who is responsible for checking this out before entry is gained, where possible.
Install CCTV
To keep your staff safer, it’s also a good idea to install CCTV inside and outside your workspace. This will help you to quickly identify any possible security issues, and should an incident take place; you’ll be able to produce evidence to the authorities, which will help the perpetrator to be caught.
Screen Your Staff
It is always advisable that you screen your staff before hiring them. Thorough screening will throw up any potential problems like instances of violence or past security breaches in a candidate’s history so that you can avoid hiring them and keep the rest of the employees, and your business, safe and secure.
Put a Cyber Security Policy in Place
The simple act of actually drawing up a cyber security policy can work wonders. When you’re staff are told that they should be changing their passwords on a regular basis, not writing down any sensitive information or sharing it via email and not opening suspect email attachments, they are more likely to do or not do those things, and your business will be much safer as a result.
Install Security Software
We are living in the age of the internet and although this is very convenient for so many reasons, it does mean that our businesses are more vulnerable than ever to hack attacks, viruses, and malware, which means that, if you want to keep all of your sensitive data safe and ensure that your business doesn’t grind to a halt due to viruses, you really need to have a good security software package in place.
Most experts would advise that you use a host-based security solution, which is more secure than the alternatives, providing that you update regularly and install it to all of your devices.
Ensure Your Wi-Fi Network is Secured
A lot of small business simply do not take the time to secure their Wi-Fi networks, often because they haven’t thought about the need to do so, but leaving your network unsecured can leave your company open to man in the middle attacks, where your personal information can be gleaned and used for nefarious purposes.
Luckily, securing your Wi-Fi network is pretty simple, and all you have to do is use the highest level of encryption available combined with long and complex passwords to keep the hackers out. You might also consider not broadcasting your Wi-Fi network’s name so that no one can even find it!
Security Train Your Staff
When it comes to security breaches, it is often small business staff who are responsible for any issues. Mostly, they have not intentionally caused security issues – they just don’t know how to prevent them or neglect to put in place the relevant measures to keep everything secure. One way of cutting the number of staff-related security breaches is to give your staff comprehensive security training and to keep topping up that training annually.
Once your employees know how to deal with sensitive data, how to avoid hack attacks and how to use encryption in the office, you will notice fewer problems.
Always Encrypt
The best way to maintain the security of your sensitive data is to encrypt it without exception. You don’t need to worry about encryption all of your business data, but the stuff you wouldn’t want getting into the wrong hands should be encrypted using full disk encryption so that only the people you wish to access it can.
If your business uses the internet to input or exchange data, switch over to a HTTPS browser, which is more secure than a standard one, so your data is less likely to be intercepted by the wrong people.
Install a Network Firewall
If you run an internal network in your office, you should ideally install a network firewall such as Cisco ASA firewall to help protect you from attacks before they reach your network and cause all manner of havoc.
Install Anti-Theft Software
Anti-theft software should be installed on every single device you and your employees use for business, even if it is your own personal laptop or tablet.
If you have anti-theft software in place, should your device be lost or stolen, it will wipe out every last piece of data on your hard drive so that sensitive information can’t fall into the wrong hands. This, of course, means that all of your data should be backed up so that you can still access it if a crisis situation does occur.
As well as installing anti-theft software, you should also consider installing actual locks on non-portable hardware like data servers and desktops, so that they cannot be stolen and accessed.
There is no sure-fire way of keeping your small business safe and secure, but if you implement as many of the above as possible and if you use your common sense, you are much less likely to suffer from any serious security breaches now or in the future.
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