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Cybersecurity and Your Small Business

The world is changing – as we speak, there are probably hundreds of ways you’re making yourself and your business vulnerable to cyber-hacking.  Sometimes, it’s as simple as letting the browser on your computer remember the password; it may be just a matter of not having a password at all.  Other times, it’s a bit more complicated:  the systems you’re using for your enterprise might be so complex that it’s bound to have a weakness somewhere. Either way, what you have in your hands is something that’s tantamount to hacker temptation.

Why Cybersecurity Now Matters More Than Ever Before

Three words basically make this issue extra-urgent:  cloud computing technology.  Right now, it’s all the rage – after all, who wouldn’t love to have entire business applications and processes accessible from anywhere?  The convenience that particular innovation brings to industries not only massively increases productivity, but also cuts down costs (for more information on how it benefits businesses, check out this cloud computing basics blog post from cloud PBX provider RingCentral).

That being said, there is one disadvantage to our growing dependence on this new paradigm:  the increased risk in terms of cybersecurity.  As a fairly complex technology, it still has more chinks on its armor than other, older technologies your business can rely on.  This isn’t to say that you don’t get any cybersecurity measures when you use cloud computing – in fact, keeping your information safe is the number one priority of cloud-based service agencies.

But that doesn’t mean that you yourself should not take measures, especially with the success of your business becoming increasingly dependent on cloud computing.

Important Cybersecurity Measures

When you’re setting up a new computer and cloud-based system for your company, you need to assume from the get-go that a cyber-attack is inevitable.  With that in mind, you need to:

Employ Security Software – Security software, especially protocols that are automatically updated, are a must.  Not only must you apply such programs to systems and applications hosted internally, but you also need to make sure that your Internet and cloud service providers apply similar measures.

Keep Yourself and Your Employees Informed – Do you know where you’ve put your most important information?  What’s protecting them?  What are the threats to your valuable private data?  How can you effectively defend yourself from them?  You have to know these things if you want to effectively defend yourself from cyber threats.

Use Some Old School Defense and Countermeasures – Passwords are just like locks; you need to make sure that they are hard to get past.  They are the first line of your defense and you need to take them seriously.  You also might need to limit the number of people who have access to sensitive data, if you want to minimize the risk of security breach via human error.  Finally, back up updated versions of your important information and set up protocols in case of a cyberattack.

Keep your company safe; cybersecurity is a main concern of your business’s future.

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40 Comments

40 Comments

  1. Dan

    March 3, 2012 at 1:29 am

    Great advice especially about having a strong password. I would also add that you should change passwords often and use numbers, letters and symbols.

  2. Daisy Sanders

    March 3, 2012 at 8:16 am

    Cybersecurity is something very important now a days. You need tohave very good security for your websites and personal accounts.
    Your tips should be very helpful for this.

    Thanks for sharing.

    -Daisy

    • Henrik

      April 24, 2019 at 9:11 pm

      A strong password is essential – but not easy if you are a lazy person. Great article and still very relevant.

  3. isabella057

    March 3, 2012 at 11:37 am

    Thanks for sharing this important information. And yes cyber security is a must to all people who has an account in internet to prevent from hacking. Most important if you are using Paypal or credit cards.

  4. Maja

    March 3, 2012 at 4:13 pm

    Cyber Security is the demand of today. Cloud computing is the one of the main technology that is facilitating the online business. Amazon and Google are the prominent Cloud computing service providers.

  5. Prakash

    March 4, 2012 at 10:38 am

    cyber security is the security of your capitals also. These days every small thing is done by cyber world……nice article and tips for cyber security……….and Facebook is also a part of it……..

  6. Nicholle Olores

    March 5, 2012 at 5:20 am

    Thanks for sharing this valuable information about CyberSecurity, it really matters especially nowadays and I am happy to know about it. Thanks!

  7. Wayne

    March 5, 2012 at 7:09 am

    Cyber security is indeed the most valuable step to ensure your business does not reveal any of it secret workings or any of the information which might prove some losses for your company. A Small business is most prone to attacks as they are the ones coming up with new ideas to grow their business, making it vulnerable in the market. Hackers try and target such small businesses as the major companies have full proof cyber security. To prevent all this, one must take the first step to ensure their site is safe and secure.

  8. Tracyann0312

    March 5, 2012 at 10:03 am

    Thanks for sharing informational write up about cybersecurity. Well, you are right, it is important so that we can be aware in the things that might happen to our business nowadays. Besides, there are many hacking strategies which hackers invented. protecting our small business is just like protecting your own family so that we cannot loose them.

  9. Edward

    March 5, 2012 at 11:07 am

    For small business owners like me , cloud based systems have become part and parcel of business. But this makes it more prone to the cyber attacks. It is essential to get some full proof Cybersecurity for such systems. I think the controlling measures which you have listed here are spot on. They are perfect to avoid such attacks. Even I have been using some of them like using good security software for securing my systems.

  10. Dave Cassell

    March 5, 2012 at 2:50 pm

    Big businesses are already victims of cyberattacks. Heck, even our government is. Fortifying cybersecurity is equal to preventing any potential breach.

  11. Nichole

    March 5, 2012 at 4:11 pm

    Cyber security is really a must of all online businessman. Those who fail to make it a must will surely suffer the consiquences. Great post!

  12. Nishadha

    March 6, 2012 at 3:42 am

    I think informing employees is one critical step most companies ignore. Especially start-ups and small business which doesn’t have well defined rules and regulations.

  13. Alex

    March 6, 2012 at 4:35 am

    I always make sure of updating my security software for my cloud system. By doing this I become assure of the protection from the cyber attacks. Cyber attacks has become an usual scenario now a days. The tips which you have sorted out to prevent such attacks are perfect. And for small business owners like me it is a major risk as the cost of coming out from this situation is very high. It is always better to take precautionary actions rather than waiting for someone to attack.

  14. Danny

    March 6, 2012 at 6:08 am

    I am more worried about all the information being collected by Google and facebook and the likes. What if they get hacked and user information gets stolen from them? It was already bad when it happened to Sony but to any of those companies it would be even worse.

  15. les

    March 7, 2012 at 10:38 am

    Thank you for some valuable information, cyber crime is a real worry for anyone using the internet, great tips.

  16. Theriz26

    March 8, 2012 at 3:25 pm

    Great post! Providing us this useful information about Cyber Security is really a big help. I will definitely follow all the tips that you’ve shared with us to avoid cyber-hacking. Thanks!

  17. Maneet Puri

    March 9, 2012 at 7:54 am

    Well written and very informative!

    I would like to add – Making routines for server administrator to do regular security audits and taking frequent backups can further strengthen your cyber security.

  18. Bethany Baptist

    March 9, 2012 at 12:02 pm

    Cyber security has become more and more important as our reliance on technology has increased. Small businesses need to take the time to look at any vulnerabilities they have and fix them, although being a small business usually means they don’t have the resources to dedicate someone to this task.

  19. James

    March 12, 2012 at 7:51 am

    We often talk about phishing and other cyber attacks and how they can impact consumers but cyber security is also an important topic for businesses. A security breach can cost you money and can result in a loss of trust with your customers or even employees so take the time this month to review your cyber security practices and to talk about them with your employees, vendors and customers.

  20. Covaci

    March 12, 2012 at 12:48 pm

    very good tips and nice blog

  21. Edward

    March 13, 2012 at 6:07 am

    The story brings up several key points that as a business owner I would not have known unless I already had this coverage. I read a white paper on how to protect my business from data breach attacks which goes way further than this article. The main thing I had to do in my business was develop a data security plan. I struggled with it until I got a template for it from the authors of the white paper. It was really helpful, as all I had to do was fill in the answers to the questions and then work with my IT person to implement. Now I rest a lot easier if one of my employees loses their laptop and god forbid the data gets stolen.

  22. Miki

    March 15, 2012 at 4:29 am

    I always make sure of updating my security software for my cloud system. By doing this I become assure of the protection from the cyber attacks.

  23. TCN

    March 16, 2012 at 7:12 am

    This is really a serious issue and the foremost concern for the internet users. we should surf safely while using internet..I really appreciate your move towards the Cyber crime.
    Thanks for sharing!!

    Keep updating….

  24. Monilyn

    March 24, 2012 at 7:40 am

    Hi , I personally really hope all of our posts have linkbaiting quality 🙂

  25. Diana Stuart

    March 24, 2012 at 1:28 pm

    This is a great post.Those tips should be very useful. Cybersecurity is a very important issue.
    Thanks for sharing.

    -Diana

  26. CCO

    March 28, 2012 at 8:12 pm

    Thanks, security is still one of the major underestimated areas of cloud computing. Most people don’t realize your documents and emails can be scanned by the provider to better target ads and marketing emails.

  27. Tom

    March 29, 2012 at 9:35 am

    Cybersecurity have great matter in small and big business. So it is a very important issue in network.

  28. john

    March 29, 2012 at 10:55 am

    Computers and other networked information systems are the backbone of the American economy, with even small firms relying heavily on the digital world to help manage their operations and sort vital data.

  29. Mary

    April 10, 2012 at 1:41 am

    What I find most reliable for cybersecurity is having a strong password. I’ve known so many people who try to maintain too long password and to change this from time to time. In this way, they can be sure that no one will be able to hack their account.

  30. TC

    April 10, 2012 at 7:14 am

    Thanks for a wonderful post! It has been a great change of pace for me as i am always on the lookout for a whole new perspective on different subjects. Keep up with your hard work and dedication.

  31. TC

    April 10, 2012 at 7:15 am

    Wow! Truly a great post, The clearness in your post is simply excellent and i could assume you are an expert on this subject.
    Thanks a million!!
    Keep on updating…

  32. Jane

    April 18, 2012 at 5:20 am

    This is true. We really need to put Cybersecurity to our business to prevent spam.

  33. Rita Dawson

    May 3, 2012 at 6:17 am

    With the increasing technology, and cyber crimes, cyber security has now reached the peak of importance. That too when it comes to small business, we can’t risk the security.

  34. Amy

    May 3, 2012 at 8:28 pm

    Thanks for sharing your useful tips, online security must be very important not only for small businesses but for all the people. I know some people how has been a victim of an identity theft, and the blog of my girlfriend has been hacked a couple of months ago as well. So, there isn’t too much when it’s about security.

  35. Felicia Corrine

    May 4, 2012 at 6:36 am

    What you are saying is absolutely right. You cannot risk your security when you are carrying all your business transactions online. The hackers and spammers are on the hike and so cyber security has become a deadly need.

  36. Robert Kenedy

    May 19, 2012 at 2:15 am

    I literally receive hundreds of spam emails every single day! It is so annoying! Cyber security has never been needed more in the recent years!

    Robert Kenedy would like you to read… What are penny stocks

  37. Carol

    May 19, 2012 at 12:48 pm

    I totally agree with you. Thanks for this wonderful post. I really love it.

  38. Chris Liehmann

    September 4, 2012 at 3:22 am

    Great insights on Cyber Security. What I struggle with on a regular basis is how to keep ahead of the curve. As technology advances, people who seek to steal information will continue to adapt their techniques to get around the firewalls you have put up. This is definitely an issue that isn’t going away anytime soon!

  39. Peter

    November 13, 2012 at 5:05 pm

    Great informative post, I am happy to read it. I think really it is excellent, waiting for the next post soon. Thanks for sharing me.

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