What Every Small Business Needs to Know About IT Security
What do the biggest companies like Target and Home Depot have in common with the small businesses lining every Main Street? Every business is a prime target for cyber attacks and security breaches. One recent Forbes study found that 20% of small and mid-sized businesses have experienced a breach or hack before, and the annual cost of those hacks is estimated to hit $2 trillion by 2019. When it comes to IT security, what your business doesn’t know will hurt you.
Don’t Keep What You Don’t Need
If you don’t have sensitive information, hackers won’t be able to access it. The higher the amount of personal data that you have about every customer, the higher that your liability is. You should only collect information that you really need and store it for only as long as your business needs it. Don’t be careless with collecting and storing customer data.
Lock Up What You Need to Keep
Every business does need to have a certain amount of sensitive information on hand, and that information should be protected as much as possible. You should require all users with access to use unique passwords that are not used anywhere else. Employee access should be restricted to employees who need to use the data, not everyone at your company. You should also have additional back-end security to protect the computers and servers that the data is living on. A skilled IT security partner like Teltek can help you to secure your physical location and digital footprint to protect the future of your business.
Take Employee Education Seriously
Many of the worst cyber breaches happen as a result of human error. Something that an employee saw no harm in could be the downfall of your company. It’s vital that you regularly educate all employees about proper security procedures. Can employees recognize a phishing email? Does each employee know what to do if they realize a breach occurred? Knowledgeable employees are your front line of defense against hackers.
Talk to Our Team Today
Teltek is a leader in IT services thanks to our Total Care Assurance Guarantee. Our proprietary approach to meeting any business’s IT needs for a single fixed price is part of what makes Teltek different. If you are ready to learn more about Teltek, contact us today for a free 15-minute conference call at 1-866-9-TELTEK or 410-552-6580.
