Many small business owners ignore cybersecurity because they think it’s another big “thing” they must do when they are already overwhelmed with other tasks. Instead of looking at cyber readiness as a task to check off, think of it as another core function of your business. Monitoring cash flow, scheduling social media posts, and inventory control are all crucial ongoing business functions. Keeping up with and positioning your company to ward off cyber threats is now simply another facet of doing business. If you get hacked, your business could not only temporarily be disrupted, but it could also end.
Creating a culture of cyber readiness in your business is the first step in becoming more secure. Ongoing training and education in your organization is the best way to be vigilant against threats and make you and your staff more confident in your online security. Talking openly and often about cybersecurity is one of the best tactics you can take to heighten security.
Take time during staff meetings to share current threats in the news, review password policies, and talk about ways to identify phishing email attacks. Simple internet searches will provide you with all the content you need on those topics, and the SBDC’s Cybersecurity for Small Business Program webinar recordings will give you hours of material to share with your staff. You can access them here.
One of the biggest mistakes small businesses make regarding cybersecurity is simply ignoring the issue. Most cyber readiness measures do not rely on technology, but instead, on changing human behavior. Installing a password manager, deploying an antivirus program, using a VPN on mobile devices, knowing how to spot a phishing attack, and making sure software updates are installed are all simple measures that anyone who can operate a computer can put in place today. Those efforts alone will protect you from an overwhelming majority of hacking attempts, but don’t stop there. Hackers and scammers constantly change their tactics and approaches, which means you need to keep yourself educated on current threats, continue to update your software, and search for more and better ways to secure your company from cyber criminals.
The Wyoming Small Business Development Center (SBDC) Network is a partnership between the University of Wyoming, the Wyoming Business Council and the U.S. Small Business Administration offering business expertise to help Wyoming residents think about, launch, grow, reinvent or exit their business. Full funding disclosures available at wyomingsbdc.org/about
All opinions, conclusions, and/or recommendations expressed herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the SBA.
