Microsoft notes that 43% of cyber-attacks are made on small and medium sized businesses. Whilst this figure may seem alarming, it’s worth noting that there are simple tips that can help to protect a business from the threat of cyber-attacks and reduce the risk. Business security is now more important than ever – protecting customer and business data should remain at the forefront of thinking.
Here’s a roundup of the key points:
- Consider security as an investment, and do this from the offset: as well as being beneficial to the business, customers appreciate a secure website. Similarly, if something was to go wrong early in the life of a business, a solid reputation would be very hard to recover.
- Have a response plan ready for if something were to happen: Being prepared for a ‘what if’ moment is never a bad thing. Hackers are clever – they can send you an email that looks perfectly acceptable to the naked eye and before you know it, you’re the victim of a phishing attack. Having a plan for damage limitation could potentially save your business thousands of pounds and hours of time.
- Don’t scrimp on technology: Using company-owned devices reduces the threat of attacks coming from personal accounts on hardware that is being used for both home and work. This will increase manageability and visibility of both the business and its security.
- Comply with regional legislation: Not complying with GDPR rules can incur massive fines. Handling data sensitively and securely should be high on any business’s priority list, as doing so will encourage good security practise anyway.
- Be proactive against threats: This goes beyond just having a plan and suggests smaller efforts to increase security. The suggestion is to regularly train staff on how to detect phishing, which is responsible for between 90 and 98% of all cyber-attacks.
- Advise staff on simple methods of protecting system access from their side: Give them guidance on secure passwords and password managers, implement two-factor authentication, and consider a company VPN for remote access to the network.
Khalid, TNP’s IT Manager, has his own tips for business security. He does a lot to make sure the company is secure and functioning well. Doing this includes handling any mistakes sensitively: “What’s the point of naming and shaming, penalising the person who’s fallen victim to a phishing email? None, as far as I’m concerned. Prioritise education above all else and engage in subtle conversation that will mean mistakes only happen once, if at all”.
Similarly, Khalid also highlights the importance of leading by example and sharing stories of the consequences that security breaches can bring. “The warning of the results a lack of care can bring is usually enough to remind people to check, and check again, the emails they receive from unexpected sources”. This, combined with good practise encouraged by positive leadership, has helped us to maintain a very high standard of security at TNP.
His final tip for others is to remember the mantra “security before convenience”. He says, “whilst you don’t want the door to be so tightly locked that you struggle to get into it yourself, the benefits of having measures in place to protect your business can ultimately protect it from the devastating effects of security breaches, some of which could end up putting you out of operation”. It’s a balancing act that’s important to get right and regularly reassess, both for your own benefit and for the benefit of your customers.
Ultimately, the Microsoft eBook suggests that Microsoft 365 software makes all this easier. At TNP, we agree! That’s why we focus solely on one of their best ERP solutions, Dynamics 365 Business Central (formerly Dynamics NAV) as we believe there’s nothing that can beat it. It has built in safeguards so you can rest assured that your whole ERP is covered.
Start off on the right foot and find the ERP solution that's right for you.
A suitable Microsoft solution for your business is Dynamics 365 Business Central, which has comprehensive protection, built-in safeguards and easy-to-use tools.
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