How to Prepare for a Breach With Small Business Tech Support

Almost 300 records were exposed every second in the first six months of 2018. Cybercrime has been on the rise, and it shows no signs of slowing down.

The attacks that make headlines often feature big businesses, like Facebook or Equifax. A small business owner could be forgiven for thinking cybercrime will pass them by.

That is not the case at all. Business size does not deter cybercrime. Small business owners must be on their toes as much as corporate giants.

With the right small business tech support, you will be prepared for anything that comes your way.

Small Business is Not Immune to Cybercrime

When you look at the headlines, you will see the names of corporate giants. Adidas, Google, Uber, and many, many more have been breached by cybercriminals. Even governments are not immune, as the 2018 ransomware case in Atlanta proved.

It makes sense cybercriminals would go after these giant corporations. After all, these companies have millions or even billions of customer records. Even if the hackers get their hands on a small fraction of the records, that is still plenty of data.

You are less likely to hear about an attack on your local drugstore or accountant’s office. That does not mean these attacks are not happening. In fact, more than 40 percent of all cyberattacks are directed at small business.

Why would cybercriminals go after small businesses like yours? After all, you do not have nearly as many customers as Facebook, nor do you collect all that data. You may feel like you are small potatoes and not worth the risk.

Small businesses also have small budgets. You may not invest as much money in your cybersecurity system or training, simply because you don’t have the budget. The result is that you and your employees may not be aware of the risks out there.

In short, you may not have as much data, but it may be easier for cybercriminals to get their hands on it.

Train Employees to Prevent Breaches

Small businesses have to be on guard as much as big businesses do. The good news is that there are things you can do to reduce the chances of cybercrime in your business.

The first step is proper training for all your employees. The number of malicious insider attacks has dropped in recent years. Your employees can still present a threat to security.

Many of today’s cyberattacks use phishing or sophisticated social engineering techniques. These can fool your employees into handing over passwords or other sensitive information. The best bet is to train your employees to look out for the signs and to report suspicious emails and activity.

Team up with Cybersecurity Experts

You should work with tech support for small business to craft a better security strategy. Unless you are a cybersecurity expert, you may not know the latest security trends or the best ways to deter cybercrime.

Your tech support team can help. They have cybersecurity expertise, which helps you create security protocols and procedures.

First, they will help you use the standard tools of the trade. You may need to install a firewall, or you may want to switch the type of encryption you use for data. Small business tech support can help you test the security measures you have in place and which ones you would benefit most from in your business.

Next, you can turn to your tech support team for ongoing monitoring and patching. Many small business owners neglect monitoring because they don’t have time. Your team can take this off your plate.

By monitoring and patching on an ongoing basis, you can reduce the time it takes to detect breaches. When you detect breaches early, it helps you respond faster and limit damage.

Small Business Tech Support Helps with Recovery Plans

The reality is that no defense is so iron-clad that it will keep all cybercriminals out forever. All it takes is one employee replying to a suspicious email or someone using a weak password.

While you hope your systems will never be breached, the best thing you can do is assume that they will be. With this assumption in mind, you can create a plan for how to handle a breach.

Again, small business tech support is in your corner. They should help you plan for recovering from a breach.

Rapid-response and recovery plans are fundamental to cyber-resiliency. Cybersecurity allows you to take steps to prevent and respond to today’s threats. Those threats often outpace security capabilities.

Cyber-resiliency looks at preparation for responding to attacks you cannot predict or prevent. While traditional risk management may help with known threats, cyber-resiliency responds to unknowns.

Creating Your Recovery Plan

What should a recovery plan include? First, it should outline the protocols the team should follow when they detect a breach. Should they apply patches to close a weakness? Is it time to reset system passwords or lock some accounts until the threat has been contained?

The team should also have instructions for who to contact. Your employees should have directions as well. What should they do in the event of a breach?

Finally, you should also give some thought to how you will manage the message of a data breach. How will you tell your customers that their data may be compromised? Be sure to communicate the steps you are taking to limit damage, and how you will improve security in the future.

Even small businesses can suffer a loss of reputation and trust when a breach occurs. Having a planned response and managing the message is key.

Do You Need Insurance?

Cyber insurance has become more popular as new laws ask companies to do more to protect data. You may want to consider purchasing a policy if you suspect your business will be targeted.

That said, cyber insurance is no replacement for good security or planning. It may make more sense to put more money into your cybersecurity budget and thus be proactive in your preventative measures.

Team up for Better Security

The right small business tech support is often the key to improving your cybersecurity measures and planning. If you want to kick start your security efforts, get in touch. Better protection for your business is right around the corner.

Sagacent Technologies offers technology management and support, including proactive/preventative maintenance, onsite and offsite data back-ups, network and security audits, mobility solutions, disaster planning and emergency business resumption services. The company serves clients of 10 to 150 employees within the Silicon Valley region.