Increasingly, small businesses are the targets of cyber-attacks because they do business online, store sensitive employee & customer data, and are suppliers to larger organizations (such as the government). Plus, most small businesses lack the resources to combat cyber-attacks. Fortunately, free help is at hand.

Data Assured has been developed by the Delaware Small Business Development Center to provide free cyber security tools and resources to the small business community. Check their website for upcoming events, Delaware cyber contacts & resources, policy templates, and handy materials, such as the Small Business Cybersecurity Workbook and Online Small Business Cyber Risk Assessment tool – all at no cost to you!

Don’t wait until your business is attacked. Start today with the tips below and visit Data Assured for more information.

  1. Protect against viruses, spyware and other malicious code. Equip computers with antivirus software and anti-spyware and update regularly. Configure them to update automatically.
  2. Employ best practices on payment cards. Isolate payment systems from other less secure systems and do not use the same computer to process payments and surf the Internet.
  3. Secure your networks. Safeguard your Internet connection by using a firewall and by encrypting information. Hide and secure your Wi-Fi network, and password protect access to your router.
  4. Make backup copies of important business data & information. Regularly backup the data on all computers, and try to do it automatically, if possible, and store the copies either offsite or on the cloud.
  5. Establish security practices and policies to protect sensitive information. Establish policies for how employees should handle and protect sensitive data, and clearly outline consequences for violating your business’s cyber policies.
  6. Control physical access to computers and network components. Prevent access or use of business computers by unauthorized individuals.
  7. Educate employees about cyber threats and hold them accountable. Teach employees how to protect your business’s data, including safe use of social networking sites and email.
  8. Create a mobile device action plan. Require users to password protect all devices, encrypt their data, and install security apps to prevent criminals from stealing information. Set reporting procedures for lost or stolen equipment.
  9. Require employees to use strong passwords and to change them often. Consider implementing multi-factor authentication that requires additional information beyond a password to gain entry.
  10. Protect all pages on your public-facing websites, not just the checkout and sign-up pages. Make security a priority for your entire digital foot-print.

 

The Delaware SBDC Network is funded in part by the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), Defense Logistics Agency, State of Delaware, and other private and public partners.