• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
Big Ideas for Small Business logo

Barbara Weltman

Big Ideas for Small Business, Inc.

Whitepaper download

Subscribe and download our eBook, "150+ Tax Deductions for Small Business A to Z."

This field is hidden when viewing the form
Get the:

  • Home
  • About Us
  • Big Ideas For Your Business
    • Idea Of The Day ®
    • SMB Legal
    • SMB Taxes
    • SMB Financial
    • Small Business
    • Newsletter Archive
  • Services
  • Books
  • Blog
  • Multimedia
    • Videos
    • Radio Shows/Podcasts
  • Be a Guest Blogger

Some Great Solutions for Better Cybersecurity

October 3, 2019 / By Barbara Weltman

CybersecurityOctober is Cybersecurity Awareness Month, making it a great time for companies to “audit” their cybersecurity practices.

Here are some ideas to consider in becoming prepared for a cyber attack.

Understand your risk

The Keeper Security’s 2019 SMB Cyberthreat Study released in the summer found that 43% of all attacks are against small and mid-sized businesses.  Yet 66% think it unlikely that they’ll be attacked. The numbers tell the story.

You need to understand the likelihood is high that you’ll experience some cyber attack (I did earlier this year). And you need to understand what’s at stake.

Your data are valuable assets for your business. Be sure to understand how important it is to protect:

  • Customer lists
  • Price lists
  • Trade secrets
  • Unpublished financial information about the company

If you’re attacked, you can be exposed to legal and financial consequences. Plus, it’s going to take time and money to recover from such an attack.

Educate your staff

The front line of defense in the war against cyber attacks is a knowledgeable staff. Yet fewer than a third (only 31%) of employees have cybersecurity training, according to the Chubb Cyber Risk Survey 2019. Take the time to explain company policies to enhance security (don’t assume employees already know). Norton suggests the following 10 best practices:

  1. Protect company data. Make sure employees don’t share confidential information.
  2. Avoid pop-ups, unknown email, attachments, and links. These can lead employees to bogus senders that wind up infecting your systems with viruses or malware.
  3. Use strong password protection. At least 10 characters (upper and lower case, numbers, and symbols) are recommended.
  4. Connect only to a secure Wi-Fi. This is explained below with VPN.
  5. Enable firewall protection. This should be done not only at work but also at the employee’s home to block unauthorized users from accessing company information.
  6. Invest in security systems. The cost of security protection to prevent an attack to the extent possible is considerably less than the cost of recovering from an attack.
  7. Install security software updates and back up files. Keep your systems up to date with the latest software changes. And back up data for easy recovery if you experience an attack (such as ransomware).
  8. Talk to your IT department. Be sure to stay informed by your department of threats and reach out when any problem is detected. If you’re too small for such department, be sure you have an IT expert in your contact list for fast communication.
  9. Employ third-party controls. Unfortunately, data breaches often come from within, so consider limiting employee access to information.
  10. Embrace education and training. Having a policy in place is only half the solution for your employees’ role in cybersecurity; you need to train them on these best practices.

Workable offers a template that you can adapt for your company’s cybersecurity policies.

Use a VPN

A Virtual Private Network (VPN) is a private network on a public internet connection that gives you online privacy and anonymity. With a VPN, you get secure and encrypted connections and your Internet Protocol (IP) address is untraceable. Without a VPN, your private data can be exposed to hackers. This is especially true when you or your employees use unsecured Internet access at their homes, coffee shops, and airports. You can learn more about VPN from Norton.

As Norton recommends, VPN should be on all your devices: desktop computers, laptops, tablets, and smartphones.

Final thought

Sun-Tsu in The Art of War said:

“Don’t depend on the enemy not coming; depend rather on being ready for him.”

That says it all!

Tags cyber attacks cybersecurity Cybersecurity Awareness Month cybersecurity practices solutions for better cybersecurity virtual private network VPN

Primary Sidebar

Categories

  • General Business (496)
  • Guest Blog (108)
  • Homepage (16)
  • Small Business (985)
  • SMB Financial (321)
  • SMB Legal (65)
  • SMB Taxes (324)

Barbara’s Recent Posts

  • Old-School Estimating vs. Smart Solutions: What’s Really Holding You Back? May 19, 2025
  • Employees Getting Called to Public Service: What to Know May 15, 2025
  • Not Too Late to Prep for Summer Now May 13, 2025
  • How Will the Next Generation of Learners Affect the Workplace May 12, 2025
  • Moms Know Best: Lessons for Entrepreneurs May 8, 2025
  • Mental Health Challenges in the Workplace May 6, 2025
  • Let’s Celebrate Small Business! May 1, 2025
  • Scaling Your Business: Adding a New State Location April 29, 2025
  • What to Do about Waste Management in Your Warehouse April 28, 2025
  • Restrooms: Not Front Office but Just as Important April 25, 2025
  • Eye Strain: A Workplace Problem to Address April 24, 2025
  • What to Do When You Can’t Get Approved for a Business Loan April 23, 2025
Awarded Top 100 Small Business Blog medal (link will open in a new window or tab)
Marquis Who's Who 2023 Badge
Top Small Business Blogs (Link will open in a new window or tab.)
8 Financial blogs small business Owners Need to Read. Invoice home.  (link will open in a new window or tab)
Best Small Business Blog, Expertido.org
Top 50 Small Business Blogs 2018
Best Small Business Blogs
BizHumm Top 100 Business Blog Award to Barbara Weltman
FitsSmallBusiness.com: Award for Best Small Business Blog 2017 (link will open in a new window or tab)
FitsSmallBusiness.com: Award for Best Small Business Blog 2016 (link will open in a new window or tab)

Footer

Big Ideas for Small Business logo

Small business ideas, business tax news and small business consulting from Barbara Weltman to provide business owners with the information they need to succeed. Visit our small business blog, Idea of The Day®, small business books and articles on small business taxes, small business finance and small business legal advice.

Contact Us

[email protected]

(772) 492-9593

gacor maxwin situs slot thailand terpercaya situs slot gacor situs gacor akun pro thailand slot bandar togel terpercaya

Latest Tweets

bigideas4sb Big Ideas for Small Business® @bigideas4sb ·
May 18

How Brands Can De-Risk The Moment - Branding Strategy Insider https://bit.ly/4j3LXWt #smallbusiness #legislation #branding

Reply on Twitter 1924111819737616677 Retweet on Twitter 1924111819737616677 1 Like on Twitter 1924111819737616677 1 Twitter 1924111819737616677
bigideas4sb Big Ideas for Small Business® @bigideas4sb ·
May 17

The Strategic Drivers Of Brand-Business Transformation - Branding Strategy Insider https://bit.ly/4iWmb6l #smallbusiness #branding #marketing

Reply on Twitter 1923846830451761363 Retweet on Twitter 1923846830451761363 Like on Twitter 1923846830451761363 Twitter 1923846830451761363
bigideas4sb Big Ideas for Small Business® @bigideas4sb ·
May 17

Tax Return Failures Can’t Be Blamed on Software -details in #IdeaoftheDay https://bit.ly/4k6M7gu #taxreturns #smallbusiness #taxtips #taxes

Reply on Twitter 1923834667679011217 Retweet on Twitter 1923834667679011217 Like on Twitter 1923834667679011217 Twitter 1923834667679011217
Load More

Copyright © 2008–2025 Big Ideas for Small Business, Inc  |  Designed by Hudson Fusion

  • Privacy Policy
  • Sitemap