This week, we discussed the reasons why small-scale business owners need to be concerned about the security of their information.
Take a look at these figures from the most recent Symantec (refer to the resources) study on security issues that affect businesses around the world in 2012:
In the average time, Australian and US companies were the victims of data breaches, resulting in the highest number of damaged or exposed records.
* German businesses were the most likely to suffer an illegal or malicious attack and were then Australian and Japanese businesses.
At an average of 34,249, Australian firms have the most amount of data breached.
The danger and the damages that could be caused:
Though strategies and techniques differ between companies, according to size, small companies can be hit hard when they’re not careful on cyber and internet security. If a website is compromised, or personal information being compromised or stolen could end up costing thousands of dollars that you likely haven’t thought of in your budget.
The reputation and your relationships with your customers are at stake. Any breach could result in the possibility of a lawsuit. This could result in your business and much more.
The types of breaches:
Security breaches can be uncovered in three different ways three ways: physical, technical, and also personnel.
Technical breaches are things like problems with systems hackers on servers, websites, and security problems. Physical breaches refer to the physical access to equipment being used, such as the computer, laptop, laptop, or even server equipment and personnel refers to the people who work for or alongside you.
To guarantee maximum security and minimize the chance of security breaches as well as access to private data, here are our top suggestions for minimizing the risk you face in the three principal areas.
Technology
1. Check that your computers, servers, and mobile devices are protected by firewalls, anti-virus, malware, and spyware properly installed and up-to-date to the most recent version.
2. It is vital to explore more specific technology, like encryption software, to ensure the security of information about customers and ensure that transactions are not stolen, make use of an external payment processing firm like PayPal.
3. Maintain your systems’ current technology. You must ensure that you’re running on the most current operating system, that your database is secured, and you are regularly updating your system. Manufacturers update their security and security built into the system, so make sure to be sure to keep your system up-to-date for maximum security.
Policy and Processes
1. Access to equipment should be limited, and not just to those who are regularly working in the same area you work, regardless of whether it is at home or office space and also from outside visitors.
2. Keep your equipment out of the public eye and make sure you have strict rules regarding the security of your screen and passwords. Making sure you change passwords frequently and that passwords are different between devices accounts, accounts, and any other access points to your system can help increase security.
3. If you can, make sure your system is set up to ensure that secure passwords can be enforced and not only recommended and required to change your passwords for yourself and your family members regularly.
Personnel
1. It’s crucial that only people who truly require access to the information get it. Limit it to a few individuals as you can.
2. Create a systems use and security policy, then communicate it to everyone within your company and have them be seen to adhere to it.
3. The employees must be informed and kept current with security concerns, the latest viruses, and scams that are circulating. Include these details in your policies and procedures and periodically check to ensure that your employees are adhering to the current security procedures.
Keep in mind that any strategy, method, or procedure can be 100% safe. What you can do is to keep everything up to date, apply security measures, and make sure your procedures and policies are in place to minimize the threat of security threats.
