SMBs Need Cyber Security Protection Plans More Than Ever

Cybercrime has skyrocketed since the start of the pandemic. The immediate increase in remote access work and all of the endpoint devices that became part of it has vastly broadened the target landscape for hackers. Today, more than 40% of all cybercrime is comprised of attacks on small to midsized businesses. Unfortunately, SMB owners have traditionally not taken cyber security seriously enough. They have incorrectly presumed that cybercriminals won’t bother with smaller businesses. That approach has turned SMBs into the “low hanging fruit’ of cyberattacks. Without proper business cyber security, these businesses risk devastating data breaches that could have serious consequences.

Business Cyber Security

There is no “one and done” solution for business cyber security. Every business is different; therefore, a cyber security protection plan must be created and customized for your business before a cyberattack.

A cyber security protection plan is detailed documentation of a company’s security rules, policies and procedures. In addition, the plan should define the protections in place, employee cyber security best practices and steps to be taken in the event of an attack. Also, because hackers are always looking for new ways to attack your hard-earned business data, the plan must be updated regularly to ensure the protections are up to date.

The Primary Goals of an Effective Cyber Security Protection Plan for SMBs are:

• Securing Your Proprietary and Financial Data – Nothing is more important than protecting your data.
• Getting Everyone on the Same Page – Every employee who uses your network must follow the same protective rules and procedures. Your IT security plan will work only if everyone follows it.
• Addressing Legal and Compliance Obligations – Many small businesses are bound by legal and compliance obligations. For these businesses, rock-solid cyber security is imperative.
• Providing a Sense of Security for Vendors and Clients – We are all in it together in our increasingly networked world. Any cyberattack can spread to anyone with whom you do business. In addition, weak security policies and procedures can affect entities outside your company.

Cyber security is usually beyond the knowledge of most small to midsized business owners and is too important for guesswork. Therefore, IT security policy development should be done in collaboration with IT experts as there are many complicated issues to be addressed. Here are some of the considerations addressed in creating your cyber security checklist:

• Define Your Valuable Assets and Vulnerabilities – To fully understand what cyber security protections are required for your business, you must first identify what assets must be protected and where vulnerabilities exist. You must also prioritize which areas of your business are most important to protect against a cyberattack.
• Create Realistic Cyber Security Policies – Security policies work only if they are achievable. A long list of rules is meaningless if they are too complicated to be followed and enforced correctly.
• Document Every Detail – It’s all in the details. Every policy and procedure must be fully documented as they will be the foundation for a good plan. Unfortunately, many small businesses don’t drill down deeply enough into documenting the minute details of their IT security policies and procedures.
• Test Your Plan – The cyber security plan you create must be tested before a cyberattack. As the plan is crucial to protecting your business, you should schedule cyber security consultation with IT professionals to ensure it is comprehensive, well-executed and will work.

Cybercriminals use a wide array of techniques for attacking private data. Because Office 365 encompasses so many business functions and connections involving private data, businesses need to take a global approach toward securing their networks. Unfortunately, SMBs have neither the time nor the budget for a full-time IT department. Without the expertise and experience of IT professionals, smaller businesses cannot ensure that their cyber security protective features are being fully utilized. Also, additional layers of cyber security should be added as part of an integrated plan for a business’ network protection. SMBs need to use IT experts, to provide risk analyses, assess cyber vulnerabilities across their systems and help them design the best layers of security for their business data.

DIGIGUARD Cyber Security Will Help Create Your Cyber Protection Plan

DIGIGUARD is a small business IT company specializing in preventing cyber threats of all kinds. They have the expertise and experience to help you create the best cyber security protection plan for your company.

They possess a wide array of solutions to protect against cybercrimes and ensure you have the best possible protection in place. Also, DIGIGUARD works with small to midsized businesses to provide cyber risk training and establish customized cyber security best practices to secure their confidential data. In addition, DIGIGUARD locks down all your devices, making sure your endpoints have the specific protections they require, especially those used for remote-access work.

For businesses of any size, cyberattacks can have devastating consequences. DIGIGUARD can assess your cyber risks and work with you to design all the best protection solutions for your business.

Call DIGIGUARD CYBER SECURITY at 833-33-CYBER (833-332-9237) and visit www.DIGIGUARDsecurity.com to schedule a cyber security consultation to help create a security plan that is right for your SMB.