Business may have slowed down for some people during the past year, but rest assured the hackers have not. According to an annual email security report from Mimecast, over half of all organizations have suffered some sort of ransomware attack over a 12-month period, costing them an average of three days of downtime overall. Eighty-two percent of companies have experienced some sort of downtime due to a cyberattack. Suffice it to say that cybersecurity remains one of the top concerns for small and large businesses.
The good news is that securing your business’s online presence doesn’t have to be complicated. There are a number of tools available that help you maintain digital security without having to dive into a complex web of IT jargon. Let’s talk briefly about some basic safeguards every small business should have in place, and then discuss a few specific tools that might help you.
Basic Elements of Cybersecurity
Depending on how much time you spend online and how big your organization, there are many types of solutions that handle various types of vulnerability points. For now, let’s take a look at the minimum basic set of tools all small businesses should have in place for their protection.
- Firewall—a device or system that monitors your network’s Internet traffic and flags or blocks suspicious activity.
- Antivirus—a program that scans your computers and email regularly for known virus and malware threats.
- VPN (Virtual Personal Network)—if you ever do work on public WiFi networks, having a VPN adds a layer of encryption to protect your activity from hackers.
- Cloud backup—A service that backs up all your data to a remote server to prevent data loss.
In addition to these tools, you should always have strong password protocols in place, and you should always train your employees on best practices (e.g., not opening suspicious emails, not leaving a workstation open). Most cybersecurity breaches involve human error.
Suggested Cybersecurity Tools for Small Businesses
Many services and platforms are now available for small businesses that seamlessly handle many of these functions, along with a few others. Here are just a few to look at:
- Bitdefender Total Security—provides a suite of security solutions that include anti-malware, ransomware protection, VPN, and more, for a modest price. Take a look at their GravityZone line for even more features.
- Intruder—an online vulnerability scanning system that identifies weaknesses in your network before the hackers do. Offers services at several price points with a free 30-day trial.
- Malwarebytes—a service providing comprehensive multi-layered protection against cyber threats for both personal and business applications. Pricing starts at $119.97/year for businesses.
Cyberattacks can be devastating, especially for small businesses—but they don’t have to be feared if you take the proper precautions. As for Wicked Bionic, you can rest assured that when you work with us on branding and marketing we understand the ins and outs of cybersecurity so all your personal information is kept safe and secure using top-line technologies.