There is a permanent threat of a cyber-attack hanging over us as a result of living in a digital age and if you are running a small business, there is definitely no room for complacency or thinking that it is unlikely that you will be targeted.
It is estimated that fraud costs UK SME’s billions of pounds per year and the average cost of fraud to a small company is £3,450 annually, which is not exactly small change to many small business owners.
Cyber-attacks are very much a part of that problem, which is why you have to develop a smart strategy to protect your business and adopt measures that helps to minimise the risks.
Online security in the spotlight
Business fall victim to numerous scams and online fraudulent activities and sometimes have to try and gain compensation through companies like www.claimsdirect.co.uk to recover monies lost or to seek damages for interruption.
The best starting point for tackling a threat like a cyber-attack is to ensure that all of your employees have the same level of awareness and education about the risks associated with operating online and the need for good security measures.
Fraudsters often try to target perceived weaknesses in the command chain and you should consider having secondary measures in place to ensure that an order placed online is genuine for example, and not a scam designed to obtain goods that they have no intention of paying for, by using false shipping details.
Have a security plan
Aim to ensure that you have a comprehensive cyber-security plan in place that will help to prevent any potential breaches in the first place and give everyone a recognised procedure to follow should a security issue arise.
One of the fundamental aspects of your security plan would be to highlight best practices for employees with regard to using things like email, social media and surfing the web in general.
Your aim should be to issue guidelines that allow workers the level of freedom that they are likely to need in order to be able to carry out their duties online but at the same time, setting clear boundaries and raising awareness about trying to protect the company from a cyber-attack through poor internet security.
Connect with wider the online business community
One of the big problems facing small business owners is the rapid pace of change that comes with the territory of a digital superhighway.
New threats are being identified all of the time and solutions being found to others, so it makes sense to try and keep up to speed with what is going on and how other businesses have managed to deal with a particular problem or threat.
Two excellent resources to consider would be Google’s online security blog which is updated regularly with details of new cyber-attack methods and how to counteract against them. There is also the chance to another weekly blog published by security weekly, which also offers free content on known vulnerabilities and details of the latest hacking attempts.
The key is to be educated and vigilant about the threats posed by a cyber-attack, so that you protect your business to the best of your ability.
Annie Wren is a freelance IT consultant. She likes to write about a range of software and tech related matters online. You can find her insights via a number of different websites.
Featured image credit: ShutterStock
