Small Business Cyber Security Tips

Here at Guardian Angel PC Support, we understand that running a small business is hard. There are a thousand and one things to think about and cyber security is just one of them. I have written a few considerations with the aim of making cyber security a little easier for you.

Malware Protection

Malware simply means malicious software; this could be a virus or even a program that is spying on you.

The first step would be to ensure you have an antivirus product installed on your computers, we use ESET as a staple for all of our business contracts.
The second step would be to limit the applications your staff/employees are allowed to run and download. This can be done through editing a group policy or simply making it company policy.
The third step you could take is to prevent staff/employees from plugging in their own USB sticks or mobile devices into the work machines.

Backing up

When I say backing up, I’m not talking about using “OneDrive” or another cloud storage solution, I’m talking about a dedicated backup. This could be either an online backup or an independent hard drive. The easiest solution for a small business is to have a dedicated external drive that is used to back up data either daily or weekly.

The most important thing to remember is that having a syncing service such as Microsoft OneDrive, is not a backup. A sophisticated ransomware attack will target all of your connected data, including your OneDrive files therefore, it is wise to have a backup solution that is not connected to your computer all of the time.

Updates

Updates can be a pain but they are filled with security patches. Installing updates on computers might feel like an inconvenience, but if you overlook updates or do not allow them to install ultimately, you are making it easier for your system to be hacked. We recommend checking for updates on all of your software every 2 weeks.

Passwords

I know remembering passwords are a pain, but using the same password for your: email addresses, Facebook account and Vistaprint account is just asking for trouble. You may be reading this and thinking I haven’t had a problem so far, well just think if your password was leaked along with 5 million other passwords, how long would it take for someone to try it on your email address?

If you struggle to remember all of your passwords, you can use a password manager and protect it with two factor authentication. There are many different programs on the market, including Keeper and 1Password.

Smartphones

Those of you who know me know that I always have 2 phones and for good reason. The first phone is for business and only has business related things on it. The second phone has lots of interesting things on, not to mention games. I keep both phone clean, up to date and malware free.

The best thing you can do is refrain from installing programs that are not needed, especially if you are using your phone for business purposes. iPhones use an application called sandboxing making them safer out of the box however, Android phones should have an antivirus product installed. It is important that you regularly update and clean your phone.