When you see news articles about business IT security, they usually discuss cyberattacks on major corporations. Individuals are also often warned about personal cybersecurity and the risks of open Wi-Fi and identity theft. What about the small business, though?
Small businesses are particularly vulnerable to cybersecurity threats. The threats of data loss, identity theft, malware, DoS attacks, and more can be overwhelming for small business owners.
Many small business owners assume that improving their security business solutions is too expensive. In reality, there are many free and inexpensive ways small businesses can better secure their information technology security solutions.
To get started protecting your business assets, check out the tools below that can help you get where you need to be.
1. Improve Your Passwords With Random.org
This may sound overly simple, but it’s one of the most important things you can do. One of the biggest threats individuals and small business owners face is hackers easily getting into their accounts.
It is frustrating to have to create a unique password for every online account you use, but it is also the best thing you can do for cybersecurity.
Use Random.org to generate a secure password. You can add a letter or two for additional strength.
2. Stay Safe Online
Did you know there is a National Cyber Security Alliance? They have created a tool called Stay Safe Online. This tool will help you do things like assessing your risk levels, and in the event, you undergo a cybersecurity attack, it will give you guidance on what to do next.
This is an excellent resource for the many cybersecurity threats small businesses face, including cyberattacks and data loss.
3. Protect Your Website With Cloudflare
Don’t underestimate the value of your digital assets. You’ve put a lot of time and money into creating your website and content. On top of the risk of data loss, attacks on your website could cost you downtime, and there is always the threat of data breaches that compromise your customers’ privacy.
There are many security solutions you can employ to protect against these threats. One of them is Cloudflare. You can think of it as a protective cover for your website, meant to filter out malicious attacks. When attacks do happen, Cloudflare will offer you a report on the event. This gives you a better understanding of what your website is up against.
Cloudflare also comes with a lot of options for those who want to dig deeper into their website security. You can choose your site’s security levels. The program can assess your site’s visitors for you, looking at the IP address and reputation to determine how legitimate a visitor is. Cloudflare can do things like ask the visitor to fill in a CAPTCHA in order to gain access to your website or block them entirely based on the information they see.
This program can also enable data encryption and set up firewalls.
For small business owners, one of the big perks is that Cloudflare does all of this with their free tool.
4. Identity Security With CSID
When you are thinking about information technology security solutions, you need to be thinking about identity theft. Yes, businesses face this threat as well.
There are several business identity theft solutions out there. CSID is a solid choice for threat protection and data breach mitigation. While there are basic services here to keep everyone safe, CSID also offers advanced tools for the small business needing extra security.
5. Use a VPN
Everyone on your network needs to be using tools that keep your business safe. This can be a lot of monitoring. One way to add a secure layer of protection to your network is to use a tool like OpenVPN.
VPN stands for virtual private network. Normally, they are discussed as a tool for users to add privacy while they browse online.
With OpenVPN, a business can better secure their network. Do you want only authorized users accessing your network? You need security solutions to make sure that’s the case.
Even if only your employees are able to access your network, there are risks. For example, your employee could go to a café to work on an open and vulnerable Wi-Fi connection. While there, a hacker can easily see them log in to their work account and slide into your company’s network along with the authorized user.
When you use OpenVPN, you create a secure gateway that stops a scenario exactly like this one.
In order to access your network, every employee (including remote employees) will access the network through the VPN, which is able to make sure only your authorized employees are getting in.
6. Protect Your IT With ESET
There is a lot to consider when it comes to security business solutions. You need to consider computers, printers, servers, and mobile devices, among other things. Products for protecting these devices are often specific to the device type.
One software that can cover the security of a great deal of your network is ESET. This business security tool offers bundles and custom packages to help cover the devices unique to your company’s needs.
7. Stay Secure Against Mobile Threats With Lookout Mobile Security
Mobile devices present unique threats to your business IT security, so it makes sense to have a tool just for protecting against those threats.
Lookout Mobile Security is designed to protect businesses against threats designed for phones and tablets. This software has tools to vet software and app vendors before they’re installed on devices and keep devices compliant with your company’s security policies.
8. Browse Safer With HTTPS Everywhere
When you visit a secure website, you’ll see that the http:// in the URL is written as https://. This is common on retail websites or any site where customer data is submitted.
The acronym stands for hypertext transfer protocol secure.
While it is great when websites offer this extra level of security, not all websites do. Often, websites will combine their https:// pages with ones that are unsecured as well.
HTTPS Everywhere is a browser extension that will encrypt your device’s communication with websites as you browse, giving you that extra layer of security. The extension is available for Android, Opera, Firefox, and Chrome browsers.
Keeping Your IT Security to a High Standard
While information technology security may be overwhelming for many small business owners, it’s not something to take lightly.
Think of it as your company’s finances. Bookkeeping is an essential part of your business. It needs to be well-maintained for your business to function properly. The same can be said for your cybersecurity and IT solutions. Keeping them to a high standard will not only protect your business but also make it run more efficiently.
Do you have questions about the best way to protect the devices unique to your company? Contact us at Frontier Business Products to schedule a free consultation with a solution specialist today.
