Cybersecurity is often the last thing on an entrepreneur’s mind when launching a business. While you might think your new venture is too small fry to attract cybercriminals, your network vulnerabilities and lack of cybersecurity knowledge could make your business an easy target.
While your branding, marketing campaigns, and product quality will be at the forefront of your mind, you must not overlook the importance of network and data security. Keep reading to find out how to improve your startup’s cybersecurity.
Create a Data Security Plan.
Never provide a member of staff with more access to your data than necessary. A data security plan will establish which member of the team will need access to business-critical data, and you must then introduce access levels for different folders and documents.
Also, if your employees will use personal devices in the workplace, you must ensure they are using the latest security protections, such as:
- Biometric authentication
- Facial recognition
- Fingerprints
You must also routinely review your data security plan as you hire more employees and create more departments.
Embrace Managed IT Services.
A cyberattack could cause unforeseen hardware and software breakdowns or network disruptions which could grind your business to a halt or slow down productivity. Managed IT services from VentureNet could be the solution you need, as it will provide immediate access to a knowledgeable team of professionals who will maintain your network, devices, and servers. For an affordable monthly price, you can enjoy peace of mind that your growing business will have a rock-solid security strategy in place.
Train Your Team.
A reported 27% of data breaches are caused by human error, as an internal mistake could lead to a ransomware attack or social engineering scam. It’s for this reason that you must train your team on cybersecurity. For example, they must:
- Use impenetrable passwords
- Avoid public Wi-Fi
- Never download unexpected files
- Improve their awareness of cyber threats, such as phishing scams
Be Careful with Data.
The more digital copies you make of your confidential data, the less secure it will be. Make it a company policy to create limited copies of your sensitive files to strengthen onsite security. This can be a big challenge, as employees from different departments might need to gain access to the files which they might view at their workstation or on a personal device. Eye-tracking technology can, however, keep track of the business-critical data to determine if a file can be downloaded or shared with others.
Conclusion.
Startup companies can’t afford to ignore cybersecurity. Large, established organizations will have built a rock-solid reputation over time, which will help their business to maintain their customers’ trust and bounce back from a network or data security breach.
As your new business will not have built trust and strong relationships with its target market, a cyberattack could cause potential customers to doubt your brand’s professionalism and attention to detail. It is, however, possible to strengthen your company’s cybersecurity by training your team, creating a data security plan, and introducing affordable managed IT services into your operations.
