According to a Verizon report, 61% of data breaches in 2016 targeted small businesses, while 39% of breaches targeted major corporations and other organisations. According to additional Verizon research, 90% of all small firms lacked adequate network security protections as of 2017. It’s terrible since the majority of small enterprises would have had to shut down due to attack-related losses.
Both small and large enterprises are protected from hackers by best practises for network security. The ten items listed below must to be on every checklist for small business network security.
1. Computer software updates
Millions of companies and organisations around the world, including the NHS in the UK, were impacted by the devastating Wannacry ransomware pandemic in 2017. The NHS could have easily prevented this attack by updating its operating systems, it was later discovered.
Updates are frequently released by Google, Microsoft, and other IT businesses to fix issues in software. Your systems will be strengthened by these updates, making it harder for hackers to get access to your network. Make sure your software systems are updated as a result. Also, keeping an eye out for updates and installing them as soon as they become available won’t cost you anything!
2. Upgrades to the hardware
Much like software is for network security, the underlying hardware that underpins your network and IT applications should be evaluated. Hackers routinely update to newer, more powerful equipment with higher processing power because they are aware of this. You should regularly upgrade your hardware systems to keep current. Your networks’ overall usefulness and security will both increase.
3. Computer system security
Only in rare circumstances may software updates prevent hackers. To safeguard your users and add an extra layer of security, you also need specialised, dedicated IT security systems. harm. Selecting the best IT security systems should be easy given the capabilities of the many types and brands. To safeguard your online activity and discussions, you might want to think about using a VPN. Only in rare circumstances may software updates prevent hackers. To safeguard your users and add an extra layer of security, you also need specialised, dedicated IT security systems. The data is encrypted and being transmitted through a VPN, so anyone who might be able to get past your firewall and other security measures is unable to use it.
4. Archiving of data
Data loss happens often for a variety of causes even without hacking. It was predicted that data freezing would occur for the WannaCry attack victims until they completed a payment. The data would have been locked and impossible to unlock if they hadn’t. This caused a substantial degree of disruption because data is becoming more sensitive and some businesses have been collecting data for years, depending on it for planning, marketing, and many other applications.
As a result, it’s crucial to regularly backup your data in a secure location outside of your company’s network. Consider investing in a second server that will only be used for data backups. Also, you can backup your data on the cloud. Frequent backups are required, particularly for
5. Regular Audits
When were the IT systems of your business last audited? However, the advantages of assessing their network and IT infrastructure are not well known by most small firms. They are essentially uninformed of the state of their network security due to a lack of auditing.
An assessment of the network and IT infrastructure is needed to find any hidden weaknesses. These flaws can then be addressed before being used by hackers. You can locate out-of-date hardware and software by auditing. The effectiveness and security of the network and IT systems are ultimately improved via audits. The minimal requirement of twice-yearly audits should be changed if there are persistent network security flaws.