All businesses are vulnerable to theft, but did you know that small businesses may be more susceptible to data theft than their larger competitors? Small businesses are less likely to have the right security controls in place to keep their information safe.

You only need to make a few small adjustments to safeguard your business information from the hands of would-be thieves. Here’s how you can do it:

• Focus on your staff first. Employees are the top cause of data breaches, accounting for almost half of all incidents, and most breaches are accidental. So— every employee needs to understand the security risks and be alert for suspicious emails, attachments and links.
• Use strong password protection. Your network, accounts and mobile devices should all require password access. Use complex and different passwords and change them regularly.
• Install and use anti-virus and anti-spyware software on all your devices.
• Set access permissions. Only the employees who need to access personal, sensitive, or commercial information should be able to. Restrict access to those who need to know.
• Encrypt data. Most operating systems and applications have inbuilt encryption options. Turn them on. If you take credit cards, you should be encrypting that information with an SSL (Secure Sockets Layer).
• Restrict physical access. You wouldn’t leave your credit card out in your reception area, so don’t allow your staff to leave laptops or other devices out where they could be stolen. They contain information that is just as valuable to your business.

If you’d like to know more about cloud computing you can always ask an expert. Our techies can guide you through your options and answer any questions you may have. Of course, you can also outsource your technology risk management altogether so you can get on with your day-to-day business. After all, it’s what we do.

Major projects

Yes, we can help you with one-off major infrastructure and migration projects too. If you want to find out more on our Technology risk management, Managed It Services, Medical IT, Technology strategy and Data integrity.

You just need to talk to us.