Learn Secure your SMB

According to 4iQ, there was a 424% increase in security breaches of small businesses last year, and almost 90% of these cyber attacks stem from human error.

For small businesses, staying security-savvy is vital for cost savings. It’s reported that the average loss resulting from a cyber attack has increased by 61% in the last year, to £283,722. On top of this, 83% of SMBs lack the funds to deal with the repercussions of a cyber attack.

So, how can small businesses protect their assets?

Stopping a cyber attack from infiltrating your business in the first place is the most effective way of dealing with hackers.

As hackers get smarter, our employees need to improve their security knowledge to keep up-to-date with the ever-changing landscape. Employee awareness is vital for small businesses to tackle growing security threats.

Here are our top 7 tips for preventing human error-related cyber breaches:

• Have an open door policy

Keep employees confident in their abilities by having an open door policy. Make sure they know that no question is too small when it comes to security, so that they’re always willing to ask if something seems suspicious.

• Don’t discourage

As well as an open door policy, make sure not to put people off from speaking up. Any cybersecurity question is worth asking, so make sure employees don’t keep queries to themselves.

• Have regular training

Remind employees of the importance of cybersecurity vigilance through regular training. By educating employees on their obligations, especially with mobile data, you can prevent unwanted attacks.

• Prioritise management

C-level execs are continuously targeted by hackers. They’re the gatekeeper to a company’s most important information, so providing management specific cybersecurity training is crucial.

• Get leadership involved

As well as training senior leadership, getting them onboard with further security training around the business will mean employees take the training seriously. If cyber-awareness is a priority for management, it will be a priority for employees.

• Regularly test employees

Training isn’t the only way to improve an employee’s security awareness. Testing employees on their knowledge, or even better, conducting real-word experiments, can help you gauge which employees need more specific training.

• Include awareness in onboarding

Get employees tech-savvy early on by including some form of training in the onboarding process. By establishing your expectations early on, you’ll establish with your staff the key role that security awareness plays in your business.

A network is only as strong as it’s weakest link, so assessing and acting upon the security-knowledge of your employees should be a priority for any small or medium-sized business.

For more information on keeping your staff cyber-aware, or for further advice on any of the above, talk to one of our security specialists today:

Call us on 0114 242 7310, or fill out our form here.