We’ve all heard stories about big companies end businesses getting hacked and having to deal with stolen information or worse, having their data tampered with. Many small business owners think that since they’re not operating on an international scale, they’re free from risk of a cyber attack, but that’s not true; they are. 

Small businesses can still lose their customer data like credit card numbers and addresses, proprietary information and even their assets in a cyberattack. If you own “less” you’re at risk of losing everything at once if your business is attacked. This is why it’s important to make sure your system is secure so no one is even able to attack your business. 

Here are 5 cyber security measures every small business owner should take 

1. Keep your staff informed

Even if you’re fully informed about using the internet safely, it doesn’t mean your entire staff will too. It’s important that everyone that’s a part of your organisation knows the signs of a potential cyber attack. They should know what a phishing email is, the importance of keeping a strong password and that they shouldn’t be downloading outside programs that could be malware. Whenever there’s a wave of cyberattacks, update your staff and tell them everything you know so you can all work together to have a secure company. 

2. Maintain a dedicated IT resource

Almost everyone knows about computers nowadays, but that doesn’t make everyone an IT expert. An IT expert can help point out the vulnerabilities in your system far before the average person would, making sure you’re safe from a cyberattack at all times.

Even if you can afford to have an IT person be on board as a regular staff member, hire a service that sends one person over or just hire someone to come on a weekly/monthly or quarterly basis that can come update your system so there are no ways “in”. 

3. Secure your Wi-Fi network

With the entire world on the internet, you can’t run a business nowadays without Wi-Fi. But when you’re getting one, you need to be sure that you’re not letting it be the gateway to your data by leaving it unsecured. An unsecured network is very easy to hack into and gain access to all the data that passes through that network. Making sure your network is secure ensures you’re safe from most cyberattacks. 

4. Limit the use of external devices on your Wi-Fi network

If your business is one where employees bring their own laptops and connect their phones to the company Wi-Fi there is a chance that malware that’s already on their phone can get into your network. Make sure that every device that connects to your network follows the same cyber security protocols as the computers in your office to ensure no one gets into your system from any device at all! 

5. Rotate your passwords on a quarterly basis

This is a very basic step, even then it’s one that a lot of companies end up missing. If you use the same password for an extended period of time, it makes it easier for a hacker to guess it. When you switch passwords frequently, even if someone has gained access to your network, they’ll be locked out when the password is changed. It’s the easiest way of keeping unwanted devices off your network! 

All of these steps are those that you need to ensure you use to make sure you’re as safe as possible from a cyberattack. Sure, this won’t guarantee that you’ll ever get attacked but it will make sure that a hacker doesn’t have an easy time getting into your system, making a successful cyberattack far less likely.