Nowadays, SMBs have to deal with many threats and perils originating from cyberspace. In a digitized world, whether securing customer information or seeing the best practices within the organization, security is an aspect that cannot be overlooked.
SMBs must be wise when selecting security solutions because they will likely have petty capital to invest. There are five fundamental digital security remedies that SMBs need to take into consideration, as well as the specific ways through which they provide protection.
Why SMBs Need Strong Digital Security?
Our research found that SMBs strongly perceive that cybercriminals cannot target them because they are small businesses. But that is not true at all.
Several common concepts and trends related to computer and cyber criminals are widely exploited: Computer and cyber criminals often look at small businesses as easy targets because they have not invested heavily in robust security measures.
Using appropriate solutions in digital security is not a matter of compliance but of steering clear of untoward cyber risks that can bring huge losses to your business. Below are some key security measures that every SMB should prioritize.
Bare Metal Server Hosting Solutions: A Tight Structure
The hosting environment is the foundation upon which any online business functions. For SMBs looking to enhance their digital security, bare metal server hosting solutions provide an excellent option.
In contrast to the various types of hosting, such as shared or virtual hosting, bare metal servers provide a dedicated physical server through which your data and applications will be powered without a blend with those of other companies. This minimizes the effect of negative input from other server users and provides enhanced management over the server setting.
Benefits of bare metal server hosting include:
- Enhanced Security: Businesses face difficulties in the form of cyber threats. To this end, you, as a business, establish specific cyber security measures ideally suited to your activities.
- Improved Performance: On the same note, because the server's resources are not common, one can be sure that the processing will be rife and have very high reliability.
- Scalability: An excellent example is when a business is fast-growing since you can quickly scale up your server resources.
Penetration Testing Services: Identifying Vulnerabilities
No matter how secure you think your systems are, vulnerabilities can still exist. This is where penetration testing services come into play. Penetration testing, often called "pen testing," involves simulating cyberattacks on your systems to identify weaknesses that hackers could exploit.
Key advantages of penetration testing include:
- Proactive Threat Detection: Regular penetration testing helps you identify and address vulnerabilities before cybercriminals can exploit them.
- Compliance Assurance: Many industries require regular pen testing to comply with security standards and regulations.
- Improved Security Posture: By understanding your security weaknesses, you can take targeted actions to strengthen your defenses.
Implement Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)
Passwords acting alone are not enough to secure information, especially sensitive information. With multi-factor authentication (MFA), at least two or more credentials must be presented to gain access to a certain system. This reduces the probability of hacking, even if a password has been released into the open market by a group of hackers.
Why MFA is crucial for SMBs:
- Enhanced Security: With MFA, it becomes extremely difficult for an attacker to breach your systems even if they have obtained a user's password.
- Easy Integration: Most MFA solutions can be implemented to minimally interfere with the rest of the system, allowing for a smooth user experience.
- Cost-Effective: The solutions for MFA are mostly fairly priced and, thus, within the reach of SMBs with limited resources to allocate.
Regular Data Backups and Disaster Recovery Plans
Lost or stolen data could be disastrous for any company, but it could be especially disastrous for SMBs, which cannot afford a backup team as big as the one in large enterprises. Data backup and disaster recovery plans are other important measures in IT security.
Steps to protect your data:
- Automated Backups: All essential information must be constantly backed up to a safe location.
- Disaster Recovery Testing: Periodically check your DRP to ensure your business will be capable of little or no disruption in the event of data loss.
- Offsite Storage: More backs should be taken and stored offsite to prevent risks of physical disasters such as fire or floods.
Employee Training and Awareness
The best systems, technological or otherwise, are only as good as the people who use them, and if those people are not trained, there is little point in having the system in the first place. Employee security awareness is one of the most neglected, though crucial, pillars of the comprehensive cybersecurity plan.
Key aspects of practical employee training:
- Phishing Awareness: Train the employees to identify phishing emails and other social engineering attacks.
- Password Management: Create an organized training program that will help employees understand the importance of developing a good password and using a password manager.
- Incident Reporting: Always explain to employees how to report any signs of insecurity in the workplace.
In an increasingly digital world, SMBs must prioritize security strategies to safeguard their assets and sensitive customer information. By adopting comprehensive measures like dedicated server hosting, regular security assessments, multi-factor authentication, consistent data backups, and thorough employee training, SMBs can greatly minimize their exposure to cyber threats. It's important to remember that investing in digital security is not merely about meeting regulatory requirements; it's about securing your business's long-term success and stability.
