Despite how serious the threats are, one recent study found that 50% of SMBs have no cybersecurity plan in place whatsoever. That’s fully half of all the companies out there like yours, with no plan, no coherent defense.
Are you one of them? If so, it’s time to make a change — and we can help.
More Businesses Investing, But Progress Is Slow-Going
A large survey of small business owners in early pandemic days revealed that it used to be worse: as many as 60% of businesses had no cybersecurity plan going into the pandemic.
If we got that number down to 50% by 2022, that’s progress. It means that more businesses are getting proactive about investing in cyber security defenses.
But 50% is still frightfully far away from zero. That progress is taking place slowly.
Comprehensive Cybersecurity Is an Investment
One reason SMBs shy away from implementing robust cybersecurity measures is that doing so isn’t easy or cheap: it’s going to take some investment, including both finances and resources. And it’s probably going to require working with an outside managed security services provider like us.
We see that investment as unquestionably worth it when you think about the ramifications of a breach, cyberattack, or ransomware attack. These incidents could literally cripple your business, destroy consumer trust, or both.
But we get it: doing this right will in the best of situations be at least a minor disruption.
The good news is that even while you’re working toward a comprehensive solution, there are basic steps you can implement right away.
Basic Cybersecurity Steps Every SMB Should Take
Take a few minutes to do a self-audit of your current approach to keeping your business safe. Have you implemented everything on the list below? If not, these are the best places to start.
- Implement multi-factor authentication (MFA): MFA makes stealing usernames and passwords just about useless, since now the bad guys also need access to a user’s cellphone, fingerprint, key fob, or some other physical, real-world authentication method.
- Set up a business-grade password manager: Speaking of passwords, your people are probably reusing them on lots of sites, which leaves you far more open to credential compromise. A business-grade password manager can automatically create (and remember) unique, strong passwords for every account.
- Turn on advanced monitoring tools: If you’re a Microsoft 365 subscriber, you already have access to certain types of advanced digital protections that don’t require a ton of know-how to use. It could be all you need to do is turn them on! Microsoft Defender for Business comes standard with M365 Business Premium and includes numerous layers of protection.
- Educate your team on phishing schemes: Advanced monitoring tools and standard spam filters will cut down on the number of phishing emails that make it through, but no system is perfect. So make sure your team members know how to recognize phishing schemes (and what to do when they see one) through regular training sessions.
Blue Ridge Technology Is Your Cybersecurity Partner
If it’s time to get your business protected with a cybersecurity plan, our team is here to help. We can help you better protect your data, your reputation, and your business itself — and we make the process simpler than you might think.
Reach out to our team today to schedule a consult.