2014 turned out to be the year of computer security. A day didn’t go by without another major corporation in the news suffering a security embarrassment.
What do Sony, Home Depot and Target have in common other than being hacked?
They all spend millions of dollars on computer security every year, and they still got hacked.
Where does that leave you, the Owner or President of a smaller firm with a much smaller budget? How can you even try to match up with the wit, power and persistence of an underground organization that is hell bent on getting your data? Turns out you can do plenty!
Educate Employees
Educate employees on the virus threats in emails, clicking on suspicious links that download malicious software and password protection. Tiny mistakes like downloading an unknown file can lead to company, and sometimes even worse, customer data breaches. A constant proactive approach towards training your employees and implementing best practices to secure information can go a long way in fending off hackers and protecting your business and clients.
Divide and Conquer
To avoid potential hacking from internal internet browsing, split your Wi-Fi network into private and public networks. Encourage employees to connect their own devices to the public or guest networks for personal use.
In your private network, it’s a best practice to turn off all social media, movie, video and music streaming sites. Although you might get some resistance from your employees, eliminating distractions can boost productivity and keep your business computers safe from hackers.
If internet browsing is permissible at work, encourage employees to bring their own laptop or tablets and use the public Wi-Fi at work for downloading, streaming, social media updates and general browsing.
Think you’re too small to attract attention from hackers?
Small and big businesses need to be more careful than ever, but just because you’re a small businesses doesn’t mean you’ll be able to slip between the cracks. Many small businesses have been attacked — 44 percent, according to a 2013 survey by the National Small Business Association, an advocacy group. The cost of an attack on a small company with less than 100 employees is a whopping $3.5 million, according to Ponemon Institute’s 2014 data breach study.
Start by making an investment in Security
Many of these small business attacks have been attributed to little to no data security. The least and smartest thing you can do is make a small investment in a professional firewall, anti-virus and anti-malware, or even better, a security monitoring service.
You can reach out to Juan Rodriguez, 847-427-2377, at CCC Technologies for a free consultation on firewall and security monitoring on your network. If you mention my name, I get a small commission and it does not increase your monthly expense.
Do you have enough insurance?
Finally, don’t depend on your general insurance to sweep in and save you in case of a disaster, as most do not cover cyber-attacks. Be knowledgeable and make an investment in insurances that can cover your loss. Start with an Errors and Omissions (E&O) that includes the following:
- Technology Errors and Omissions
- Network and Information Security Liability
- CyberLiability Coverages
Edwin Moreno, from Salvador Insurance, can tailor your E&O protection, you can reach out to him at 773.777.2092 for a free consultation. I don’t make any commission if you sign up through Edwin.
Please share your thoughts and comments below.