SMB Security Tips – Our Top 7

A massive global shift to remote working environments has created an open-season for cybercriminals. No business – big or small – is safe. Small and medium businesses (SMBs) seemingly have a target on their backs, so strengthening your company’s security posture is essential right now. This process doesn’t have to be stressful or time consuming. There are simple ways to protect business data against ransomware attacks right away and long term solutions to help your business boost resilience to cyber attacks. Here are a few of our top SMB security tips and suggestions:

  1. Conduct A Security Risk Assessment: Understand the most critical threats to your business, like system failures, natural disasters as well as malicious human actions and determine the impact they may have on your company. Not sure how to perform an assessment? We can help with that.
  2. Train Your Employees: Conduct regular employee awareness training programs across your entire workforce to educate users on common scams and avoidance techniques. Partnering with a strategic IT partner like UCS can help make sure the content is relevant and updated frequently. Our comprehensive Cyber Security Training & Awareness Programs are a great tool to add to your Cyber Security Bundle.
  3. Use Multiple Layers Of Protection: Implement a password policy that requires strong passwords and monitor your employee accounts for breach intel through DarkWeb Monitoring. Deploy firewall, VPN, and anti-virus technologies to ensure your network and endpoints are not vulnerable to attacks. Bonus Tips: Consider mandatory multi-factor authentication, ongoing network monitoring, and hard drive encryption.
  4. Keep Software up To Date: Unpatched or out-of-date software will allow some kind of threat to breach your security fortress. Cybercriminals often exploit software vulnerabilities using a variety of tactics to gain access to computers and data. Managed Service Providers (MSPs) can automate this for businesses just like yours, with a remote monitoring and management tool. Don’t forget to keep your mobile phones and tablets up to date as well.
  5. Create Straightforward Cybersecurity Policies: Write and distribute a clear set of rules and instructions on cybersecurity practices for employees. This will vary from business to business but may include policies on social media use, bring your own device (BYOD), authentication requirements, and more. Need help with writing a plan? Book a consultation with on of our security experts!
  6. Back Up Your Data: Daily (or more frequent) backups are a requirement to recovery from data corruption or loss resulting from security breaches. Consider using a data protection tool with your MSP’s help that takes incremental backups of data periodically throughout the day to prevent data loss. Data security is a foundational element to any proper Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery plan.
  7. Enable Uptime: Choose a powerful data protection solution that enables “instant recovery” of data and applications. Why is this important? Turns out 92% of MSPs report that clients with business continuity and disaster recovery plans had far less downtime or financial loss due to a cyber attack.

Managing your business and your team is a full-time job in an of itself. Adding cyber security and BCDR to your growing list of projects is not exactly the best use of your time when there are professionals who can help reduce risk and increase productivity in less time than it may have taken you to read all of our suggested tips.

Unique Computing Solutions has been a leader in providing strategic cyber security and BCDR strategies to businesses just like yours across the Midwest. Our team has over 20 years of real world experience battling some of today’s most notorious cyber attacks, and we’re ready to help strengthen your fortress right from the get go. Contact our team today to schedule a consultation, get your security plan rolling, and finally get back to projects that actually make your business profitable.