Cyber-crime is a serious issue which can be detrimental to your business if not properly protected against. Cyber-attacks are invasive or offensive actions which target your computer systems or devices with the aim of stealing your information or disrupting business processes. Undertaking training or implementing safeguards can help protect your business from a cyber incident.
How to reduce the risk of cyber-attacks
One of the best things you can do to protect your business is regularly backing up essential business data and storing it in the cloud or separately to your main system. This means in the event of your systems being compromised due to floods, fires, damage, or theft you can recover your data and keep the business running. It also protects you if a cyber-criminal encrypts your information and demands a ransom to recover it.
Install firewalls and anti-virus software to filter out cyber-criminals’ attacks and prevent malicious software from infecting your device and stealing customer data. Also, require staff to use multi-factor authentication, create unique passwords, and update them regularly so only authorised people can gain access.
Keep all your systems up to date and respond to any security breaches immediately to reduce the risk of cyber-crime. You can also obtain cyber insurance to protect your business if you do receive a cyber-attack, covering the cost of investigating the crime, recovering lost data, restoring computer systems and more.
You should also train all your employees on cybersecurity so they can identify phishing scams and avoid compromising your many resources to help inform people on how to stay safe online. Undertaking a Cyber Essentials certification not only ensures your staff are properly trained in managing to cyber-attacks, it also shows customers that their sensitive information can be trusted with your business.
Implementing a rigid cybersecurity plan is essential if you want to keep your business, employees, and customers safe. For more information on running your business, check out our Knowledge Hub.
