You left your safety net, a 9 to 5 job, to work for yourself. To date, it’s been a big success. Perhaps you’ve hired your own employees, utilized OKR methodologies to manage your goals and increase performance, you may have even considered buying or renting office space for your growing business. What else do you need to do to ensure your continuing success?
The next item to address is ramping up security to protect your business from faulty equipment, internal thefts, and cybercrimes. Thankfully, there are measures you can put in place to reduce these risks.
Cybercrimes
When you hear the word “cybercrime,” you may immediately think that it only happens to large companies. However, this is simply not true. In fact, small business owners are at a much greater risk than the big corporations because they don’t have the money in their budget to utilize all the safety measures available. For this very reason, hackers consider small businesses a soft target and a better way to gain access to personal information. The good news is that companies that specialize in MSSP security are fully equipped with the right tools and services to make it much harder for a hacker to gain access to your system.
Limit Access to Company Information
Exposure is one way to guarantee that your company’s information will leak out. Luckily, you can drastically reduce the risk by limiting access to private company information to only one or two individuals. This way if there is a breach in the system, you’ll only have a few people to interview to find out who did it.
Tough Passwords
Using familiar names is a great way to always remember your computer password. Unfortunately, hackers count on you being predictable. Make it difficult for someone to get into your system by creating a unique password. Chances are high that you will need to write it down and store it in a safe place, but it beats the alternative.
Adequate Insurance
Small businesses have to budget for everything, and this includes insurance, too. In a world where many seem to be looking for ways to sue businesses, having insufficient amounts of insurance could end up costing you your livelihood. Contact your insurance company to make sure that you have enough coverage if the worst-case scenario comes along.
Security Cameras
Unfortunately, not all crimes happen off the premises. Many real threats can occur during the day with a careless employee or one that’s dissatisfied. Installing high-tech, barely visible security cameras throughout the office will allow you to monitor the ongoings of any employee you feel may be up to something. Even if you don’t catch them in the act, you’ll have the videotapes to prove who did what and when.
Keep the Business Separate
It may be convenient to pay all your bills from a checking account. However, if someone begins a lawsuit against you, now your personal belongings such as your home and car are now fair game. One way to achieve a complete separation of the two is to put the business into a trust or establish a corporation.
Backup Data Often
Protecting your business requires backing up the system often. Many small business owners back up their systems nightly before leaving the office. This way, should anything happen, you’ll have the ability to restore the system and prevent lost information.
Encrypt Files In addition to the nightly backup, it’s also in your best interest to have your files encrypted so that in the event a hacker does breach the system, they won’t be able to connect the dots and use the stored information. There are many companies that specialize in this practice. Check with the better business bureau to see which one has the best rating.
If you want to know how to recover money for your business, you can find relevant information at
paidanalytix.com.
