Tech

Small business cybersecurity: Addressing concerns in 2021

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The ongoing global health crisis has changed everything we knew about our ‘normal world’. Businesses are trying hard to manage remote employees and teams, while professionals are struggling with new norms and the pressure of constantly working from home. In such turbulent times, cybersecurity is an aspect that businesses cannot take for granted. In this post, we are sharing more on small businesses can do about cybersecurity to address security concerns in 2021. 

  1. Add Multi-Factor Authentication. Multi-Factor Authentication, or MFA, is one of the best and most cost-effective ways to take cybersecurity to the next level. Besides a password, an additional OTP or other security questions can enhance security considerably.
  2. Focus on password protection. Some of the basic aspects of cybersecurity remain the same for businesses. Especially when WFH is the new reality, businesses need to train employees on creating strong passwords. Passphrases are actually better, with more than 16 characters, uppercase & lowercase letters, use of special characters and numbers. 
  3. Train employees, again, on phishing attacks. A lot of small businesses are not focusing enough on hacking and phishing attempts, often with a wrong belief that they are not the target of hackers. Truth is small businesses with naïve employees are at a much greater risk of facing cyberattacks. You may have trained employees on cybersecurity, but this is time to revisit the basics. 
  4. Recommend a Password Manager. If your employees are not using a password manager as yet, it’s high time to recommend one. Every employee needs to handle a bunch of complex and unique passwords on a regular basis, and without a management tools, mistakes are very likely. 
  5. Consider Cyber Liability Insurance. Yes, Cyber Liability Insurance can be expensive, but for small businesses, there is no better way of handling an unexpected security breach. In case of a cyberattack, the liability of your company will be limited with such insurance. There are some Cyber Liability Insurance options available today, but do check all the terms and conditions in depth. 

Back up – Frequently

The last thing that requires attention is regular and dedicated backups. Many small businesses have suffered the consequences of ransomware and phishing attacks, and it makes sense to have necessary data in storage, so that systems can be restored in time. ‘

If you need help with cybersecurity, consider talking to experts and make sure that everyone is aware of their role in ensuring security in the organization.