Security is a major concern for many small business owners, and the threats may be greater than you think. From petty burglars to high-tech hackers, criminals often target small businesses, putting your continued viability as a business at risk.
The bad guys know that small business owners often lack the resources needed to fight back; however, protecting your firm may not cost as much as you think. Here are some simple ways to protect yourself, your employees and your organization.
Tighten Up the Hiring Process
While many small business owners fret over hackers and break-ins, a surprising number of breaches come from the inside. [quotesright]If your hiring process is not up to par, you could unwittingly welcome these dangers into your organization. [/quotesright]
Simple tweaks to your hiring process, like investing in background checks and following up on references, can enhance your protection and greatly reduce the threats posed by insiders. (Tip: ask a reference for the name of someone else who knows the prospect and check with them too.)
Organize and supervise wisely
As important as it is to hire right, you need to have smart organizational and supervisorial procedures built into your business to be sure your hires are working safely and productively.
To further enhance your cybersecurity, stick to industry best practices, like granting the lowest level of network access employees need to do their work efficiently and monitoring the online activities of your employees.
Invest in a Shredding Service
Hack attacks and ransomware demands are all too real, and every small business owner is at risk. Even so, low-tech threats could be just as dangerous and much easier to overlook.
Some strategic dumpster diving could hand competitors the keys to your small business kingdom, including proprietary information, lists of customers and all manner of private data. [quotesright]It is amazing what people throw out! [/quotesright]
So, do yourself and your small business a favor and invest in a shredding service today. Shredding your paper records is a commonsense precaution that could significantly enhance your security.
Automate Your Perimeter Defenses
Physical security is a big deal for every business owner but staying safe does not have to be hard. New systems allow much of the hard work to be automated and investing in those physical defenses could be good for your business.
From cameras that automatically swivel when they sense movement to burglar alarms that capture the faces of potential burglars, these automated defenses could make a world of difference.
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We Had A Break-In
Years ago, when a partner and I started an online business, we were tiny, working out of an unused office in a real estate brokerage. We literally had a homeless person living in the vacant woods next to us.
We had one powerhouse computer that we used to run and place orders, ship them out, etc. One night at 4 a.m. I got a call from the police. There was a break-in in our office. A silent alarm alerted the police there and they caught the guy in our office. He’d broken into many other companies in the area it turned out and stolen their computers.
Had we not had a good security system, we would have been out of business. For good.
What would you do if all your computers were stolen or vandalized?
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Best of all, the monthly cost of these automated defenses could be less than you think, so you do not have to choose between protection and profitability.
Outsource Your Cyber Defenses
Protecting the physical infrastructure of your small business is important, and simple steps like better hiring, shredding bins throughout the office, and a quality alarm system can make a world of difference. But enhancing physical security is only half the battle.
The other half is shoring up your cyber defenses, something that is critical no matter what your small business does or where it operates. [quotesright]From strictly real-world enterprises to online retail operations, every small business needs a plan for cyber protection. [/quotesright]
Outsourcing your cyber defenses to a third-party firm can enhance your protection while lowering your security costs. Outsourcing your cyber defenses to the experts could also protect you from emerging threats, including dangers you may not have heard of like Spear Phising, Ransomware, Trojans, Malware, Android Malware, Fake Updates, and many more.
How to Get What You Need
By implementing smart security solutions in your small business, you can reduce the risk of criminal damage. If you want to protect yourself and your firm, you need a smart approach, one that incorporates both physical security and a smart cyber defense strategy.
Fortunately, there are many good solutions to all of these threats. As you review them, you’ll find that many sound great but in practice are not what you need.
Best advice: Hire both a physical and a cyber security pro to advise you, one who doesn’t sell products or services. They know the difference between the good and the nearly worthless. Use them. Can’t afford that? Ask other businesses your size what they are doing, who they use, and what their experience has been.
