Recent research has found that the majority of small businesses do not have the technology or policies in place to effectively protect their IT and data from a cyberattack. Not only does this leave their own systems at risk of data breaches, but their customer’s data too.
Unfortunately, cybercrime is not going away, as the number of hacks, viruses and ransomware attacks is rising. Small businesses are a key target for cybercriminals, precisely because they’re failing basic IT security tests. 50% of the respondents in the Ponemon survey reported that they had suffered a data breach in the past 12 months.
Small business owners cited budget, resources and expertise as factors contributing to poor IT security, but Matt Feeny, Director at Leeds-based PCM, highlights some inexpensive IT security practices that small businesses can easily make.
“The report highlighted that small business owners didn’t feel they had the personnel, budget or technologies to make their IT security more effective. But there are a lot of improvements that small businesses can make, most of which are free or cost very little. ”
“Multi factor authentication is offered by most major email providers and online banks. Updating your software regularly can prevent known viruses. Making sure that you have antivirus and security software on your PCs, mobile devices and networks is essential. Educating your staff on phishing and social engineering like email fraud can help to minimise the risk of losing your business’ data and money to cyber criminals.”
“All IT firms should be able to advise their clients on IT security best practice, so we advise small businesses to find an IT company they can speak to who specialises in practical support for SMEs . One of the best pieces of advice we can give to businesses is to always verify invoice requests with new bank details. If you’ve done business with a company before, and suddenly they have a new bank account, ring them to check the details before making a payment.”
PCM is an IT support organisation based in Leeds. They specialise in IT support and security for small and medium sized business across Yorkshire.
