Data breaches can affect any type of business – large, medium, and small. Many small-to-medium size businesses (SMBs) owners are left with the false sense that their companies are too small to be a victim of a breach.

While they may not have the same resources as a huge multinational company, SMBs still hold a lot of sensitive data such as financial records, medical records, personal information, client details, and more. As you might imagine, this data can be very valuable for criminals. As a small enterprise owner, it’s easy to fall into the trap of assuming that cyber criminals won’t target you. the truth is that criminals love to prey on small and medium-sized enterprises. Smaller businesses are often more vulnerable to attack as they have more digital assets than the typical consumer yet tend to lack the IT infrastructure and specialist expertise of larger companies.

Cyber criminals are aware that most SMBs do not have the resources for a dedicated IT team and are therefore more vulnerable to attack than larger enterprises. Owners and managers know a cybersecurity incident can be devastating to a business, whether the attack cleans out a business’ bank account or steals customers’ personally identifiable information. Breached companies may lose customers and will spend a great deal of time and money recovering from damage done to their reputation.

Tips for improving the cyber-security of your small business

1.Make data security a priority.
2.Train Employees.
3.Establish a cyber-security policy
A simple cyber-security policy might establish guidelines regarding:
• Acceptable use of email and the Internet
• How staff should protect work mobile devices
• Password creation and storage
• Remote access security protocol
• The use of removable media (such as USB drives, CDs, DVDs, etc)
• How sensitive data is handled

4.Limit access to software and hardware.
5.Create backups.
6.Invest in proven antivirus/anti-malware software.
7.Always update your software.
8.Develop an incident response plan.
9.Conduct a risk assessment plan.
10.Consider buying cyber insurance.