Although most small business owners will know that cybersecurity and data loss prevention are important, they might not think it relates to their business. It is easy to assume that a cybercriminal will only be interested in larger businesses with an impressive turnover and lots of sensitive data relating to their customers. However, the reality is that small businesses are often more of a target – they will usually have lower defenses against cyberattacks. Therefore, as a small business owner, you need to do more than simply be aware of cybersecurity; you need to implement a full data loss prevention strategy as soon as possible. Read on to find out more.
Use On-Screen Keyboards
It is crucial to know as much about the techniques and strategies that data loss prevention experts have developed – click here to see some of them. Yet as well as this, you need to put your ideas into action. Something you can do that will make a big difference is to update your laptops so that you use tablets or touchscreen computers instead of the standard machines with a separate screen and keyboard.
This might sound strange, but it can definitely help with your data loss prevention strategy. The reason is that hackers use keystroke recognition technology. They can secretly detect exactly what keys you are using when it comes to your passwords or internet banking log in details and therefore have access to these areas themselves. Using a touchscreen means this cannot happen, and therefore your data will not be lost.
Regular Backups
Backups are vital when it comes to protecting your data. If there were a fire, a floor, a break-in during which your laptop was stolen, or any other similar disaster, if you have a recent backup of your system on a separate server, you will be able to implement your data loss prevention plan and restore that information to a different laptop. This is why regular backups – at least once a week, and ideally more – are crucial. It is also why having a separate server that is kept off-site is important. Imagine what would happen if you were carefully backing everything up to a server kept in the same place as the laptop and a fire or flood took them both. You could lose everything.
To make your remote backups even safer in terms of data loss prevention, ensure that the information is encrypted, and password protected. This will happen as a matter of course when you use cloud storage or have an IT management company to help you, but if you’re doing it yourself, these additional measures must be implemented.
Educate Employees
If you know everything about cybersecurity and data loss prevention, that is a positive thing for your small business. If you’re the only person working in your business, it’s ideal – you’ll know just what to do to keep everything safe. However, if you have employees, you will need to ensure that they know just as much as you do about this specific element of staying protected.
If they do not, mistakes can occur, such as email attachments being opened, leading to viruses in your network, or giving away payment information due to clicking on what appears to be a valid link. Pass along all the information you can about this topic or sign your team up for data loss prevention training, and your small business will be much safer.
