Cybersecurity Tips for Small to Midsize Businesses

Cyberattacks are reported in the news so often these days, you would be forgiven for thinking they were inevitable. While attackers are quite sophisticated, a good plan of attack can keep them away from your networks. From both preventing attacks in the first place, to knowing what to do in the middle of an attack, these tips can help smaller businesses fight back.

You might assume ransomware attackers would target large businesses in an attempt to earn as much money as possible. However, attackers have changed their tactics: In 2021, 70% of the businesses affected by ransomware attacks had fewer than 500 employees. The main reason is to avoid the cybersecurity training and infrastructure typically found at larger, well-funded organizations, as smaller companies tend to lack these advantages.

One easy way for smaller companies to shore up protections is to list out all the technology a company uses and who has access to it. That includes all software, hardware, data on the cloud, etc. If all employees are aware of all moving parts, that means hackers won’t know about the system than the company does. At worst, that places employees on an even playing field with would-be attackers: At best, it gives employees a huge advantage.

Next up, employees should be well trained on cybersecurity and how to protect their networks: They should also only have permission to access elements necessary to their work. If a system isn’t relevant for an employee, they shouldn’t have access, which limits security gaps hackers can exploit.

Don’t forget to have a game plan in the event of a cyberattack: Nobody wants to endure such an attack, which is why we try so hard to prevent them. But unless you have a detailed plan where employees know what to do in the event of an emergency, a potential cyberattack could hurt much more than it needs to.

Speaking of prevention, cybersecurity insurance is a necessity. While the cost might seem prohibitive at first, it pales in comparison to ransoms and lost productivity. Not to mention, more and more organizations are no longer doing business with companies unless said companies have some form of cybersecurity insurance.