Almost everybody makes New Year resolutions.
I will lose weight.
I will read more.
I will spend more time with my family.
These statements sound great on paper (and in our heads), but whether we stick to them or not is a completely different story!
By the time February rolls around, even the most sincere New Year resolutions morph into facsimiles of the original:
I will lose weight…next year.
I will read more….when I have time.
I will spend more time with my family….on second thought, they really annoy me, so I’m not going to bother!
Personal resolutions are great – when they work. But if you are a small business owner, you are probably better off making a resolution to protect and nurture your business.
And because it pertains to your livelihood, chances are that you will actually stick to it!
No more-
….next year
… when I have time
… I’m not going to bother!
Cyber attacks are big business. Protect YOUR business with THIS resolution!
According to a report by Verizon (2019 Data Breach Investigations Report), almost half of all data breach victims in 2019 across 86 countries were small businesses. 69% of these breaches were perpetrated by outsiders while organised criminal groups were responsible for 39% of them.
The report frankly states that, “No organization (sic) is too large or too small to fall victim to a data breach. No industry vertical is immune to attack. Regardless of the type or amount of your organization’s data, there is someone out there who is trying to steal it.”
If you don’t want YOUR organisation to fall prey to unscrupulous cyber attackers and data thieves, let your 2020 resolution be: I will protect my company and customers from preventable threats!
3 ways to put this resolution into practise
A cyber attack can lead to huge data losses and serious financial repercussions. Worse, it can destroy your organisation’s reputation and goodwill.
Since prevention is always better than cure, protecting your firm from such attacks is the smart thing to do.
Here are 3 ways to defend your firm from cyber monsters and prevent future attacks!
- Use updated security software on all your systems
Your IT department should be able to guide you on what kind of software you need to protect your systems from malware, viruses, phishing, botnets, man-in-the-middle, DoS and other types of cyber threats. Talk to a cyber security expert if required.
However, it is not enough to simply install anti-virus, anti-malware or firewall software. Cyber attackers are getting smarter and cyber threats are constantly evolving. To stay ahead of them, it’s critical to ensure that your systems are up to date. Update them with patches, or upgrade to the latest versions. Change softwares if need be. This way, you will be able to consistently mitigate any new types of threats and keep your firm protected all the time.
Also read:
Tech Thursday: Sophos XG Firewall for Next-gen Visibility, Protection and Response [HYPERLINK]
- Always, always, ALWAYS BACK UP!
One would think that this is a commonsensical tip.
Right?
Wrong!
An amazing number of firms don’t bother to back up their data. Regardless of the reasons for this carelessness, the results can be devastating and very difficult to recover from (if ever).
To prevent such eventualities, back up all your historical and current data. Set up automated backups for the future. Technology can help – make use of it!
Backups provide peace of mind – to you and to your clients.
Then why would you not do it?
- Refresh your passwords
You must regularly change your passwords and ensure that your staff does the same.
It can be a pain to use unique passwords for every system (goodbye 1234) but the results will be worth it. Use a mix of letters in both lower and upper case, special characters and numbers. Needless to say, don’t use easy-to-***** passwords like your birthday, children’s names or hometown.
Never store your passwords on spreadsheets or Post-It notes. Writing them on your desk or closest wall is also out!
Never share your passwords with anyone – not even your dog!
Never use default system-generated passwords. Change them immediately!
To keep track of your passwords, you can try a password keeper/password manager software that encrypts your passwords and lets you know if any of them are compromised.
Bitdefender’s GravityZone Business Security and GravityZone Advanced Business Security provide excellent protection for your systems along with advantages like centralised management and easy deployment. You can choose between a cloud or an on-premise hosted management console – whatever works best for you!
“WATCH OUT FOR OUR CYBER MONDAYS SOOON” !!!!
Cynergi’s partner firm Prime Infotech offers a number of data management and business reporting solutions at great prices! To know more about licensing, volume discounts and free trials, contact us today!
For more information about these products and volume discounts, contact Prime Infotech today!
Phone: 022-2308-0666, +91-9833650378
Email: salesdesk@indiaprime.com