In the digital age of today, the business world has seen an exponential amount of growth and expansion through the use of modern technology. Not only has technology allowed companies to conduct their daily processes via online platforms, thus reducing their overhead and increasing their sales, but it has allowed for an increase in productivity across the board. This is because tasks that were once painstakingly handled by full-time employees can now be performed with the click of a button.
However, with the advent of the technological age has come some negative aspects as well. Even though data can be stored at impressive rates and volumes, that data is also prone to the possibility of cyberattacks.
Keep your small business protected, businesses of all sizes are looking to invest in the best methods of keeping digital data safe and secure. While larger companies might have resources at their disposal that make this a bit easier, smaller businesses have to get creative and look for cost-effective ways of protecting their data and, more importantly, the data of their customers.
If you are looking to find ways of protecting your company’s data, here are three things that you should consider doing.
1. Bring in the Experts
As with anything that is significant concerning your small business’s operations, it is always a wise idea to consult an expert in cybersecurity in order to find the best solutions for your company. Doing so doesn’t have to break your budget, however. There are many companies that specialize in cybersecurity that will work with you to find the solutions that your specific situation would benefit from. In other words, depending on the size of your company and the type of industry in which you work, your cybersecurity needs might not be on the same scale as, say, a larger company that deals mainly with sensitive data.
Ultimately, if your customers are entrusting you with their sensitive data, you need to do all you can to keep it safe. Your cybersecurity budget should be proportionate to your needs so that you can make sure to have the protection that you require implemented. Trusted support companies like Stronghold Services Corporation can give you the cybersecurity solutions you need, among other technological solutions.
2. Get Everyone on Board
When it comes to security breaches at small businesses and large ones alike, there is an astonishingly large number of cases that involve the source of the breach coming from within the company itself. It can happen all too easily as employees become lazy with selecting passwords and signing out of servers. In order to protect your data, you need to ensure that everyone is on board.
You might need to hold a company-wide training to teach your workers and yourself the best security practices when it comes to your company’s data. Even the simplest of changes can make a big difference in keeping your data safe. Once everyone is brought up to speed with the proper training for your industry today, it is important to bear in mind the fact that things will evolve and change in the future.
Particularly in the case of cybersecurity, things develop very rapidly. Keep yourself and your employees informed about the best security practices as and when they come to your notice. Instigating a culture of awareness is vital if you hope to keep your small business protected against threats.
3. Know Who You Are Working With
Another way you can protect your company’s data from breaches from within is to make sure that you have a good idea about the people you bring on board. Even if you feel comfortable with how your hiring practices are, it is important to remember that you need to ensure that you are staffing your company with only those you can trust. Companies that deal particularly with sensitive data need to ensure that all employees pass a reliable background check and won’t pose any threats to your business’s data.
Those companies that don’t specifically handle ultra-sensitive data should still perform their due diligence in the hiring process. This means potentially taking more time than you would prefer to recruit and hire the right people. However, even though you spend a significant amount of time on this process, it will all be worth it, in the end, to know that you are only bringing trustworthy and reliable people on board who will share your goal of keeping your business secure on all fronts.
In order to make sure that you are hiring the right people, there are a number of steps you can take as you evaluate each potential candidate. Call references and check up on the past work experience that your candidates claim to have to make sure that all is above board.
