How to Keep Hackers Away from Your Small Business

Every minute, online theft is occurring. Whether it’s a group of hackers attempting to break into the data firewalls of a known business or it’s someone trying to undermine a company from the inside, hacking is happening all the time. 

 

With the proper precautions, though, a business can successfully keep themselves safe from being hacked online. There are several tips that you can use to help keep hackers away from your small business. A good cybersecurity company can help you to manage your company firewalls and keep your data safe, but what else can you do? Let’s take a look:

1. Use Multi-Factor Authentication

The data for your business should be kept as secure as possible, and your most sensitive data should have multi-factor authentication no matter what. Hackers are much less likely to be able to break into your accounts if you use MFA. 

 

With MFA, even if a hacker gets your password and username, they will almost certainly not have access to the second authentication factor, which is usually a code sent to your smartphone, a fingerprint, or face ID. Multi-factor authentication also works to alarm you when someone tries to get into your systems, allowing you to update passwords and security questions as needed.

2. Undergo a Network Assessment

Without regular evaluations of your IT infrastructure and processes, you’re likely to experience added risks and inefficiencies that could lead to downtime or security incidents. 

 

When you undergo network assessments, you can better understand your data and how well it’s protected. You should receive a report on the current security of your online data, which will help you understand how to prioritize vulnerabilities in your system and repair them accordingly.

3. Outsource Your IT to a Managed Service Provider (MSP)

Hiring a Managed Service Provider (MSP) to help you with your cybersecurity is a great way to ensure threat actors can’t attack your systems. The right cybersecurity company can provide a range of services, including protection from advanced cyber attacks such as ransomware, security integrations in your software, and risk assessments

 

The best MSPs are also equipped to cater to the daily IT support needs of their clients, including establishing 24/7 system monitoring to ensure no new vulnerabilities can be exploited. In addition, both SMBs and enterprises alike benefit greatly from outsourced managed IT services as they are much more cost-effective than funding your own in-house team. 

4. Fully Integrate Your Systems

If you want to keep hackers away, you should fully integrate your systems. System integration will also help your team be more productive, as they don’t have to waste time replicating information or sending it to other departments.

CIOs in companies are under pressure when it comes to cybersecurity, and so they should be. The security of customer and employee data must be protected at all costs as even one breach can harm your business irreversibly. 

The rate of hackers targeting smaller businesses is rising, but the tips above will help you keep it from happening to your business. 

Chris Turn
 

Chris has experience covering the latest trends in the small business world, and has a reputation for being a knowledgeable, creative and strategic blogger. He has a deep understanding of marketing and branding principles and how they can be applied to small businesses, and is able to provide actionable advice and strategies for success. Chris has interviewed industry experts and covered major marketing events such as the SXSW Interactive conference and the Advertising Week conference. He is also a successful small business owner himself, which allows him to bring a unique perspective to his blogging and writing. His blog is known for providing valuable insights and tips on how to effectively market and brand a small business.