Best Security Measures All Small Businesses Should Implement

As millions of small businesses set up their online operations, cybercriminals are also pitching tent there. The Internet has countless fraudsters waylaying to steal every sensitive detail you transact there. They are ready to steal your passwords, your customers’ sensitive information, and any information that can enable them to make quick and dirty riches.

Therefore, it is necessary to make efforts to protect your business against cyber-attacks. This article will take you through these easy and implementable measures that will in-turn protect your business.

Security Measures For Small Businesses

1. Off-Site Sensitive Data Storage

The first step you need to take to protect your small business is taking care of your offsite data storage. This means you should store the most sensitive information outside your business.

When storing your critical data offsite, it is necessary to secure it with proper and reliable encryption to stop hackers from intercepting it. Such a measure will indemnify your data from the hands of hackers and other online threats.

2. Secure Your Printers

Cyber catastrophes can take place online and offline because thieves can access crucial data using offline gadgets to break into your system. As a small business that values its cybersecurity, it is necessary to pay attention to the potential threats that your printers can pose.

By this, I don’t mean that your printers are a threat in themselves, no. Instead, these devices can save scanned and printed documents. This means that a determined, smart hacker can access such information and abuse it for their selfish ends.

So, it is prudent to protect your business by disabling features such as printer sharing and use wired connections even though wireless options could look smarter. Remember, it is better to “look backward” and remain safe rather than risk your business because you want to look “tech-savvy.” Another way of handling the printer threat is buying printers that automatically purge their onboard memories.

3. Spy Your Business Premises

Hackers don’t have identification cards or official uniforms. Therefore, it is necessary to maintain surveillance around your premises to deter in-house thieves and traitors. This way, it is easy to spot illegal access to restricted company devices and detect any suspicious move.

4. Safeguard Your Business Smartphones

The business world has gone mobile. Therefore, it is now imperative for companies to optimize mobile smart devices such as smartphones. The modern smartphone can store immense valuable data that other fixed company gadgets can store.

However, they are more vulnerable to hackers since it is easier to lose them compared to laptops and desktops. Therefore, take the following measures to protect any sensitive information your business smartphone stores:

• Ensure that it has encryption software
•  Protect it with a secure password
• Enable remote wiping that allows you to wipe it should it get lost or stolen

5. Secure Your Access Points

Access codes are some of the most common entry points that cybercriminals capitalize on. Therefore, it is important to use complex passwords that are hard to guess.

For instance, avoid creating passwords that have your employees’ birthdays or anniversaries since some of this information is easy to guess. Make sure that every password has at least one capital letter, a digit, and a symbol that makes it difficult for thieves to guess.

6. Install SSL Certificates

Another way of securing your company data is installing an SSL certificate. This way, you will be sure that your business enjoys secure data transfers, credit card transactions, logins, and other sensitive information. There are various types of certificates available in the market like DV SSL, Wildcard SSL, EV SSL, SAN SSL and more. Selecting a certificate depends upon your needs.

For example, If you want to secure the main domain and it’s all subdomains then wildcard SSL certificate is the best choice. It will save money and time.

Below are some of the benefits of installing an SSL certificate:

• Enhanced customers trust: An SSL certificate will protect your customers’ information. This means that as they log their personal data into your website, they will be sure that they are safe. This way, they will trust your site and give you more business, especially if you sell your products online.
• Compliance with Google’s SEO standards: Another benefit of using an SSL on your website is its compliance with Google’s ranking standards. Just like me, you may not like Google’s virtual monopoly and bulldozing dominance. However, you and I have little, if anything, we can do about it. Therefore, you have no option but to comply for the sake of your customers who need to continue giving you business. Remember, Google now ranks your website higher and displays a “secure” or “not secure” badge in search results. That means that installing an SSL certificate will boost your visitors’ confidence in your website.
• Improved conversion rates: Lastly, all the above benefits will boost the most important end of your website—conversion rate. The reason is that a highly ranked website will prompt your users to take the favorable and desired action you expect them to.

7. Update Your Antivirus Software

Even though installing antivirus software assists in protecting your data, it is not enough. You also need to update the software to ensure that it can withstand the ever-changing online and offline threats your business faces. Therefore, update these programs on time to continue enjoying their protective benefits.

8. Protect Your Laptops

Just like their palmtop counterparts, it is easier to lose or thieves to steal your laptop compared to your company desktop. Therefore, it is necessary to take early and adequate measures to protect your data on these devices. Here is how you can secure your data on laptops:

• Encrypt all your business laptops to ensure that the information stored on the hard drive is unreadable without a valid password
• Never leave your laptop in the car or else thieves will steal it and access your sensitive data

Wrapping It Up

Security threats face all small businesses both offline and online. Since you cannot stop the existence of cyber threats, it is necessary to put measures in place to protect your business.

That is why in this post, I walked you through the eight security measures every small business should implement to protect itself. I hope that you will implement them to secure your business against cybercriminals and other threats.