In today’s digital age, small business security is vital. Small businesses are increasingly becoming targets for cyberattacks. With valuable data, sensitive information, and financial resources at risk, it’s crucial for business owners to prioritize security to safeguard any sensitive information your business may have.
Small business security isn’t just about installing a few antivirus programs and hoping for the best; it requires a comprehensive approach that requires careful planning to cover all of its bases.
In this blog, we’ll provide you with a small business security checklist to help fortify your business against potential threats and mitigate risks before they happen.
Identity and Access Management (IAM)
The first step in securing your small business is establishing robust Identity and Access Management practices. As highlighted in our previous blog, here’s how you can ensure your IAM is up to par:
User Authentication: Implement strong authentication methods such as multi-factor authentication (MFA) to ensure only authorized personnel can access your systems and data.
Role-Based Access Control (RBAC): Assign specific roles and permissions to employees based on their job responsibilities. This limits access to sensitive information only to those who need it.
Regular Audits: Periodically review user access rights and privileges to identify and rectify any unauthorized or unnecessary access.
Data Protection
Your business’s data is one of its most valuable assets and protecting it should be a top priority. Here’s how you can accomplish that:
Data Encryption: Encrypt sensitive data both in transit and at rest. Use secure encryption protocols for email, file storage, and data transmission.
Regular Backups: Implement automated backup procedures for critical data. Ensure backups are stored offsite in a secure location.
Data Classification: Categorize your data based on its sensitivity level. Apply appropriate security measures, such as access controls and encryption, based on the classification.
Data Retention Policies: Establish clear data retention policies to determine how long data should be kept and when it should be securely destroyed.
Cybersecurity Training and Awareness
Your employees can be your greatest asset or your weakest link in terms of security. Ensure they’re set up for success with the following:
Security Training: Provide cybersecurity training to all employees. Teach them about common threats like phishing and social engineering, and how to recognize them.
Incident Response Plan: Develop an incident response plan and ensure all employees know their roles in case of a security breach.
Regular Updates: Keep employees informed about the latest security updates and best practices. Conduct regular security awareness sessions.
A recent example of the need for Cybersecurity Awareness training is the MGM hack, which resulted in a 10-day computer shutdown that has cost MGM about $80 million in losses. The initial entry point was through social engineering, where the hackers found an MGM employee on LinkedIn, and impersonated them with the organization’s service desk to gain access to their account.
Network Security
Protecting your network infrastructure is vital to safeguarding your business. Utilize the following to increase your network security:
Firewalls: Implement robust firewalls to monitor and filter incoming and outgoing network traffic. Configure them to block unauthorized access.
Regular Patch Management: Keep all software, operating systems, and network devices up to date with the latest security patches.
Secure Wi-Fi: Set up a secure Wi-Fi network with strong encryption and regularly change Wi-Fi passwords. Segment your network to isolate sensitive data.
Device Security
Securing the devices used in your business operations is crucial — particularly if you have a remote or hybrid environment. Device security includes:
Mobile Device Management (MDM): Use MDM solutions to manage and secure mobile devices used for business purposes. Enforce device encryption and remote wipe capabilities.
Endpoint Security: Install reputable antivirus and anti-malware software on all devices. Enable automatic updates and regular scans.
Password Policies: Enforce strong password policies for all devices and accounts. Use complex passwords or passphrases, and require periodic password changes.
Compliance and Regulations
Stay compliant with relevant laws and regulations, especially concerning data privacy:
GDPR and Data Privacy: If applicable, comply with data protection regulations like GDPR. Ensure you have a clear privacy policy and obtain customer consent for data processing.
HIPAA Compliance: If your business deals with healthcare data, ensure HIPAA compliance and maintain patient confidentiality.
Regular Compliance Audits: Periodically conduct compliance audits to ensure adherence to all relevant laws and regulations.
Incident Response Plan
Even with robust security measures, it’s also essential to have a plan in place for when security incidents occur. A response plan typically covers:
Incident Detection: Implement intrusion detection systems and security event monitoring to detect potential threats in real-time.
Response Team: Establish an incident response team with clearly defined roles and responsibilities.
Communication Plan: Develop a communication plan for notifying stakeholders, customers, and regulatory bodies in case of a data breach.
Cyber Insurance & Security Audits
Lastly, consider investing in cyber insurance to mitigate financial risks associated with security breaches in addition to getting regular cyber audits:
Cyber Insurance Policy: Work with insurance providers to tailor a policy that suits your business needs. Ensure it covers data breach costs, legal expenses, and business interruption.
Penetration Testing: Conduct regular penetration testing to identify vulnerabilities in your systems and networks.
Security Audits: Periodically engage third-party security experts to conduct comprehensive security audits of your business.
Secure Your Future with ANAX
To be successful, your small business must prioritize security to protect its data, reputation, and financial stability. Implementing the small business security checklist outlined above will go a long way in fortifying your business against potential threats.
Remember that security is an ongoing process, and staying vigilant is key to safeguarding your business in the digital age. By following these practices and regularly reviewing your security measures, you can significantly reduce the risk of falling victim to cyberattacks and data breaches.
Microsoft 365 is an essential productivity tool used by millions of individuals and businesses worldwide. With a wide range of features and applications, it can be easy to overlook some of the most powerful productivity hacks that can help you get the most out of your M365 experience. Enhance the benefits of Microsoft 365 with these 365 Productivity Hacks and take your productivity to the next level.
Microsoft 365’s Focused Inbox is a powerful tool that intelligently sorts your email, helping you focus on what matters most. This feature separates your inbox into two tabs, Focused and Other, making it easier for you to manage your email messages.
Benefits
The Focused Inbox feature is designed to help you prioritize your email by automatically filtering out unnecessary messages, such as promotional emails and spam. It analyzes your email usage patterns and prioritizes messages from important contacts, allowing you to focus on the emails that matter the most. Focused Inbox also works across all your email accounts, personal and professional, making it easy to manage your inbox in one place.
Another great benefit of Focused Inbox is that it learns from your email usage patterns, becoming better at identifying what’s important to you over time. You can also easily reclassify emails between Focused and Other by opening an email and selecting “Move to Focused/Other” from the overflow menu.
How to Set Up & Use Focused Inbox
If you’re using Outlook for Windows and you have a Microsoft 365, Exchange, or Outlook.com account, you can easily turn on Focused Inbox. Here’s how:
1. Open Outlook and select the View tab.
2. Click on “Show Focused Inbox.”
3. The Focused and Other tabs will appear at the top of your mailbox. You’ll be informed about email flowing to Other, and you can switch between tabs anytime to take a quick look.
To change how your messages get organized:
1. From your inbox, select the Focused or Other tab, and then right-click the message you want to move.
2. If you’re moving from Focused to Other, select “Move to Other” if you want only the selected message moved. Select “Always Move to Other” if you want all future messages from the sender to be delivered to the Other tab.
3. If you’re moving from Other to Focused, select “Move to Focused” if you want only the selected message moved. Select “Always Move to Focused” if you want all future messages from the sender to be delivered to the Focused tab.
Have you ever sent an email and then realized that you forgot to include an important attachment or made a mistake in the message? With message recall and replace, you can retrieve a message that you sent and replace it with a corrected version. This feature is available in Microsoft 365 and Microsoft Exchange email accounts in the same organization.
Benefits
Correction of errors: You can easily correct mistakes or omissions in your emails, such as forgetting to attach a file or including incorrect information.
Avoiding confusion: If you sent an email to multiple recipients, you can avoid confusion by replacing the original message with a corrected one, rather than sending another email with the corrected information.
Saving time: By recalling a message, you can save time by not having to send another email or contact each recipient individually to correct a mistake.
How to Setup & Use
To recall and replace a message, follow these steps:
1. Open the Sent Items folder in the folder pane on the left of the Outlook window.
2. Double-click the message that you want to recall.
3. From the Message tab, select Actions > Recall This Message if you have the Classic Ribbon.
If you have the Simplified Ribbon, select the Message tab, select More commands (…), point to Actions, and select Recall This Message.
4. Select Delete unread copies of this message or Delete unread copies and replace with a new message, and then select OK.
5. If you’re sending a replacement message, compose the message and then select Send.
To check on the recall status, follow these steps:
1. After submitting a recall request, you will receive an email notification with the subject “Message Recall Report for message [original message subject].”
2. Select the View Message Recall Report link to view the report in your browser. If you’re prompted, log in with your mailbox credentials to view the report.
Recall actions are usually quick, but if the recall request can’t be executed right away, Microsoft will continue to retry for up to 24 hours before marking the recall as failed. Status updates are also quick but can take up to five minutes for a message with up to a few hundred recipients. For a large number of recipients, the recall itself is still fast, but it can take up to thirty minutes to retrieve the recall status for all recipients.
Document Recovery
Microsoft 365 offers a great feature called Document Recovery that can help you recover unsaved files and versions of files that you had open in case of a sudden system crash or unexpected application shutdown. This feature can save you time and frustration, especially if you were working on a critical document or a long project.
Benefits
If a Microsoft 365 app closes unexpectedly before you save your most recent changes, Document Recovery automatically opens to help you retrieve your file.
Document Recovery lists any files you had open that were recovered from the most recent time you saved them, the most recent time they were AutoSaved, or the most recent time they were Auto Recovered.
You can review each file’s date and creation time to decide which version to save.
Recovering documents in Microsoft 365 can save you time and frustration, as it ensures you don’t lose your work due to unexpected app closures or other issues.
How to Set Up & Use
1. Store your files on OneDrive or SharePoint and use AutoSave, which automatically saves your changes to the cloud as you work. This is the safest way to ensure you don’t lose your work.
2. If you encounter an unexpected app closure or other issue that prevents you from saving your changes, reopen the app. Document Recovery will automatically open to help you retrieve your file.
3. To see the entire Document Recovery pane, hover over the right edge of the pane until you see an arrow pointing left and right. Then click the arrow and drag it to the right to widen the pane.
4. Look for the date and creation time of each file in the Document Recovery pane. If you see multiple versions of the same file, choose the one with the most recent time to ensure you have the most recent changes.
5. Click each file to open it and review its contents.
6. Click the down arrow to the right of any file in the Document Recovery pane and select one of the following options, depending on your needs:
Open or View to review the file
Save As to save the file
Delete to delete the file
Close to close the file
Show Repairs to see if any file errors were detected and repaired
7. After opening any file in the list, you can continue working in it or save it.
8. When you have recovered all the documents you need, click Close.
9. Select one of the following options:
Yes, I want to view these files later (safest option) – Select this option if you are not sure whether you need the data in the recovered versions of the files.
No, remove the files. I have saved the files I need – Select this option if you are sure you don’t need the data in the recovered versions of the files.
10. If you click Close without reviewing all recovered files, you’ll see an option to view them again later. The next time you open the application, you’ll have the option to save or remove those auto recover files.
Customizing Teams Notifications
Microsoft Teams is a collaboration platform that allows users to communicate and work together seamlessly. However, with so much activity happening in the app, it can be challenging to keep up with notifications. That’s why Microsoft Teams offers different ways to access, receive, and manage notifications. In this blog post, we’ll explore the benefits of customizing Teams notifications and how to set it up.
Benefits
Here are some of the benefits of customizing Teams notifications:
Improved Productivity: By customizing your notifications, you can focus on the messages and activities that are important to you. This will help you stay productive and avoid distractions.
Better Time Management: You can choose when and where to receive notifications. By doing so, you can manage your time more effectively and avoid being interrupted during important tasks.
Personalization: Customizing your notifications allows you to personalize your Teams experience. You can set up notifications based on your preferences and work style.
How to Set Up & Use
1. Open Microsoft Teams and click on your profile picture in the top-right corner.
2. Select Settings and more (…) > Settings.
3. Click on Notifications.
4. Change the settings to what you want.
5. To modify your notification style, select Appearance and sound > Notification style:
Teams built-in: Receive your Teams notifications in-app.
Windows: View only your desktop notifications.
6. Under Teams and channels, choose which desktop and activity notifications you’d like:
All activity: Adjust new messages, reactions, and all mentions.
Mentions & replies: Adjust personal mentions and replies to your messages.
Custom: Choose what you get notified for and how.
7. Under Custom, you can customize notifications for:
All teams and channels: Change notifications for all teams and channels that you have access to.
Shown and pinned channels: Change notifications for only a team or channel that shows up in your teams list or anything you’ve pinned.
8. Under Settings > Chat > Edit, you can customize your personal @mentions, notifications, and other messaging features in Teams.
Sharing your calendar with others in Microsoft 365 can be a useful tool for keeping your team on the same page and ensuring everyone is aware of important deadlines, meetings, and events.
Benefits
Improved Collaboration: By sharing your calendar with your team, you can collaborate more effectively, schedule meetings and appointments without conflicts, and avoid miscommunications.
Increased Visibility: Calendar sharing makes it easier to keep everyone informed about upcoming events and deadlines. This can reduce the chances of missed appointments or misunderstandings.
Better Time Management: By having access to your team’s calendars, you can better manage your time and prioritize tasks, ensuring that everyone is working efficiently and effectively.
How to Set Up & Use
1. Open your calendar in Outlook.
2. On the Home tab, click Share Calendar.
3. In the Sharing Invitation window, choose the calendar you want to share from the drop-down menu.
4. Enter the email addresses of the people you want to share your calendar with.
5. Choose the level of access you want to grant, such as “Can view when I’m busy” or “Can edit.”
6. Add a message to the invitation email if desired, and click Send.
7. The recipient will receive an email with a link to your shared calendar. They can click the link to open your calendar and view the events.
Note that there may be some restrictions on sharing your calendar, depending on your organization’s policies. For example, you may not be able to share your calendar with external users or people outside your organization. If you receive an error message when trying to share your calendar, it’s a good idea to check with your IT department or system administrator.
Automating Tasks with Quick Steps
Automating recurring tasks can be a real time-saver, especially when it comes to managing your email inbox. One of the best tools available for automating tasks in Microsoft 365 is Quick Steps. With Quick Steps, you can apply multiple actions at the same time to email messages, making it easy to manage your mailbox quickly and efficiently.
Benefits
Saves time: Quick Steps can help you save time by automating repetitive tasks such as moving messages to a specific folder, forwarding messages to your manager or peers, and marking messages as read.
Increases productivity: By automating tasks, you can focus on more important tasks and improve your productivity.
Customizable: The default Quick Steps can be customized, and you can also create your own to make a Quick Steps gallery of mail actions that you take most often.
Easy to set up: Setting up Quick Steps is easy and can be done in just a few clicks.
How to Set Up & Use
Default Quick Steps & Editing
1. Open Outlook and go to the Mail section.
2. In the Quick Steps group, select the More Dialog Box Launcher button on the ribbon arrow at the side of the Quick Steps box to open Manage Quick Steps.
3. In the Quick Step box, select the Quick Step that you want to change, and then select Edit.
4. Under Actions, change or add the actions that you want this Quick Step to do.
5. If you want, in the Shortcut key box, select a keyboard shortcut that you want to assign to that Quick Step.
6. If you want to change the icon for a Quick Step, select the icon next to the Name box, select an icon, and then select OK.
To create a new Quick Step
1. In the Quick Steps group, in the Quick Steps gallery, select the Create New Quick Step.
2. In the Name box, type a name for the new Quick Step.
3. Select the icon button next to the Name box, select an icon, and then select OK.
4. Under Actions, choose an action that you want the Quick Step to do. Select Add Action for any additional actions.
5. To create a keyboard shortcut, in the Shortcut key box, select the keyboard shortcut that you want to assign.
Note: Quick Steps cannot be undone using a menu command or with a keyboard shortcut like Ctrl+Z. This is because Quick Steps can contain actions such as Permanently Delete that are not able to be undone.
Remotely Access Files with OneDrive Fetch
Remote access to files is a critical need for individuals and businesses. Whether you are at home, in the office, or on the go, you may need to access a file that’s located on another device. Microsoft’s OneDrive offers a powerful solution to this problem with its fetch remote access feature. In this blog post, we’ll explore the benefits of using OneDrive Fetch and how to set it up.
Benefits
Access files from anywhere: With fetch, you can access your files from virtually anywhere and from any device, including desktops, laptops, tablets, and smartphones.
No need for VPN or Remote Desktop: Fetch allows you to remotely access files without having to set up a VPN or Remote Desktop.
Download and view files: You can download and view files from virtually any device, including videos and images.
No additional software: There is no additional software to install or router configurations to make. Simply enable the feature and start accessing your files remotely.
To enable fetch access in OneDrive, follow these simple steps:
1. Right-click on the OneDrive icon in the system tray and select “Settings.”
2. Check the box that says “Let me use OneDrive to fetch any of my files on this PC.”
3. Open OneDrive on the web and sign in to your Microsoft account.
4. From the left pane, select the computer that contains the files you need.
5. You can access files on your local C: drive, any mapped network drive, or connected internal or external drives.
Important Considerations for Using OneDrive Fetch:
The fetch feature works best on Windows 10 machines.
The computer you’re trying to remotely access needs to be powered on and connected to the internet.
You cannot fetch files from a PC running Windows 8.1 or a Mac, but you can use these devices to access files.
You may be asked for a verification code to use the Fetch feature.
Manage Email Better with Outlook Rules
Email can quickly become overwhelming, with messages pouring into your inbox every minute. Luckily, Microsoft 365 offers a powerful solution to help you stay on top of your email: Rules.
With Rules, you can automate many common tasks, like moving messages from a certain sender to a specific folder, or flagging messages with a particular subject line.
Whether you’re looking to declutter your inbox or streamline your email workflow, Rules can help you become more productive and efficient.
Benefits
Automate repetitive tasks: With Rules, you can automate many common email tasks, like moving messages to specific folders or flagging messages with certain words in the subject line. This can save you time and mental energy.
Stay organized: Rules can help you stay organized by automatically sorting your messages into folders. You can even set up Rules to color-code messages or play sounds when certain criteria are met.
Increase productivity: By automating repetitive tasks and staying organized, you can increase your productivity and focus on the most important emails in your inbox.
Set Up & Use
1. Right-click a message in your inbox or another email folder and select “Rules.”
2. Select one of the options. Outlook will suggest creating a rule based on the sender and the recipients. To view more options, select “Create Rule.”
3. In the “Create Rule” dialog box, select one or more of the first three checkboxes.
4. In the “Do the following” section, if you want the rule to move a message to a folder, check the “Move item to folder” box, then select the folder from the “Select Folder” dialog that pops up, and then click “OK.”
5. Click “OK” to save your rule.
Alternatively, you can use the Rules Wizard to create more complex rules. There are three types of rules you can create: Stay Organized, Stay Up to Date, and Custom Rules. The Rules Wizard allows for more customization and options, but can also be more time-consuming to set up.
In today’s fast-paced world, productivity is key to success. With Microsoft 365, there are several hacks that can help you work more efficiently and effectively. By using these hacks, you can maximize your productivity, improve your business processes, and achieve success in your professional life. So, start implementing these hacks today and watch your productivity soar!
Recently, the Cyber Readiness Institute (CRI) surveyed small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs & SMBs) to assess their knowledge of multifactor authentication (MFA). The findings were startling; an overwhelming majority (55%) of these organizations had no idea what MFA was or how it could help protect them from cyber threats. This lack of knowledge and understanding of MFA is particularly concerning, as any business owner knows that taking steps to secure their data is crucial for continued success.
As an owner, CEO, or CIO of a small business, it’s your responsibility to ensure the security of your company’s data. With cyber threats becoming increasingly sophisticated and aggressive, one of the most important steps you can take to protect yourself is implementing multifactor authentication (MFA).
MFA adds extra layers of security beyond passwords that can help ensure only authorized users have access to your system – all while ensuring operations are as efficient as possible. In this blog post, we’ll look at multi-factor authentication, how it works, and why it’s essential for any small business looking to stay safe online in an increasingly complex digital landscape.
What is Multifactor Authentication?
Multi-factor Authentication (MFA) is a highly recommended form of authentication that provides an extra layer of security to help protect sensitive data. It requires users to provide more than one form of verification, such as a username and password combination, a one-time code sent to their device, or biometric information like fingerprints or facial recognition. MFA helps reduce the likelihood of successful cyber attacks.
By requiring two or more validation factors from a user in order to gain access to resources, organizations can ensure only authorized individuals are accessing critical data. For added security, organizations should consider implementing MFA that’s tailored to their specific needs and industry compliance regulations.
How Does Multi-Factor Authentication Work?
The concept behind MFA is simple yet effective: users provide two factors to authenticate themselves–their username/password combination and an additional factor that confirms their identity. Companies must select which authenticator factors they want to use based on their specific needs and the level of security desired.
Organizations must also decide whether they want MFA integrated into existing systems, use external solutions (such as third-party identity providers), or purchase dedicated hardware solutions for more robust authentication measures.
These requirements are designed to help organizations understand the importance of using two-factor authentication when accessing sensitive data, such as customer information or financial records. The requirements are also aimed at assisting small business owners in implementing an appropriate 2FA solution that meets their security needs.
The NIST MFA Requirements provide a number of key recommendations for implementation, including the use of unique passwords for each user, strict adherence to password policies, regular review and enforcement of access control measures, and clear audit logs to track activity. They also require that users must authenticate via two separate factors before being granted access to any protected resources. This could include something they know (such as a password or PIN), something they have (like a physical token), or something they are (like biometric data).
MFA builds on the concept of using strong passwords by offering an additional form of authentication. This additional form could include one-time passcodes, fingerprints, or any other type of authentication that requires multiple verification steps.
By following these best practices, small businesses can ensure that their valuable data is kept safe from unauthorized use and manipulation. Furthermore, organizations will have peace of mind knowing that their customers’ privacy is not put at risk by any malicious actors who may be trying to gain access to sensitive information.
MFA vs. 2-Factor Authentication: What’s The Difference?
Multi-Factor Authentication is a security measure that requires more than one method of authentication to verify the identity of an individual. This differs from Two-Factor Authentication (2FA), which is restricted to using only two authentication methods for verification.
MFA offers additional layers of protection against unwanted access by requiring users to provide multiple pieces of information to prove their identity.
Furthermore, MFA can involve using any combination of authentication factors such as passwords, biometrics, or OTP tokens, thus making it much more secure than 2FA alone. Combined with other measures such as encryption and user permission management, MFA can help organizations protect their data and systems against unauthorized access and malicious activities.
The Importance of Multi-Factor Authentication for Businesses
By leveraging MFA technology and other security measures such as antivirus software and firewalls, businesses can provide an extra layer of defense against outside threats. This adds an extra layer of security for customers’ data and provides peace of mind for business owners responsible for safeguarding their customers’ sensitive information.
According to Microsoft, implementing multifactor authentication (MFA) can provide a powerful safeguard against account compromise attacks. Utilizing MFA for your accounts helps protect you from hackers and other malicious actors who want to gain unauthorized access to your data.
It also helps to prevent identity theft by providing an extra layer of security, making it much more difficult for an attacker to gain access to your personal information without permission.
Furthermore, implementing MFA can help improve customer experience by providing faster service with less downtime due to malicious activities or fraudulent attempts at gaining access.
Companies should take the time now to make sure they understand the importance of MFA and the added benefits it provides for both themselves and their customers. With the proper education and awareness about MFA security protocols, businesses can ensure that they are protecting themselves and their customers from potential threats in the digital space.
What To Consider When Selecting An MFA Solution For Your Business
Consider the following when selecting an MFA solution for your business:
When evaluating the proper multifactor authentication (MFA) solution for your business, the critical criteria are accessibility, usability, and training resources.
To find the correct multifactor authentication (MFA) solution for your business, consider accessibility for all employees, usability, and training resources.
Additionally, ensure the MFA solution meets current and future needs while remaining cost-effective.
The provider should offer comprehensive user guides, tutorials, and 24/7 support for any issues that might arise.
How to Implement a Multifactor Authentication Policy for Your Company
Introducing Multi-Factor Authentication (“MFA”) is important in ensuring your organization’s security is up to date. To have a successful implementation, it is essential to designate someone who can lead the process and accept responsibility for cyber readiness. This individual must prioritize what systems and data need protection, decide which MFA technology best suits those needs, and assess the impact on employees.
Before rolling out MFA across the organization, it is vital to communicate the policies, expectations, and how easy it will be for employees to use. This could include workforce information sessions, training, or a messaging campaign outlining the necessary steps for using MFA such as putting up physical posters, banners, emails, and other communications throughout your organization’s buildings to explain why MFA is essential in today’s digital age. It’s also beneficial to provide support resources where employees can troubleshoot problems they may experience during initial use.
Once you have communicated your plan and employees understand how MFA works, you can begin implementation. It’s important to note that this could present technical challenges if you have a large employee base or if some of your systems need to be updated or transitioned into an MFA environment more accessible.
With strong leadership, strategic planning, and ongoing communication, successful integration of MFA is achievable for any business regardless of size.
What Challenges Might Businesses Face When Implementing Multifactor Authentication?
Businesses’ most significant challenge when implementing multifactor authentication is ensuring all employees understand why it’s important and how it works. If there’s not enough education or training around MFA, employees may not be comfortable with the process or may even find it too confusing — leading them to avoid using it altogether.
Additionally, some users may find the additional steps required for MFA tedious or time-consuming, mainly if they are used to logging in with just one credential. For both the educational and technical side of MFA, you always have the option of working with an MSP. Check out our post on how to find the best MSP for your company.
Benefits of Using Multifactor Authentication for Your Business
The primary benefit of using multifactor authentication is increased security. This can help protect your data and digital assets from malicious actors trying to steal information or money from your organization and also help protect your customers’ data and builds trust by showing that you take their data privacy seriously.
By requiring users to prove their identity multiple times before gaining access, MFA makes it much harder for attackers to gain unauthorized access.
Also, MFA can help protect against phishing scams and other social engineering attacks since attackers will need more than just one piece of information before they can get into your systems.
Finally, this extra layer of control makes it easier for you to keep track of employee activity on your networks and spot any unauthorized activity quickly before any damage can be done.
The Challenge of Using Multifactor Authentication
While many benefits are associated with using multifactor authentication, there are also some potential drawbacks. For example, trying to access systems with multiple layers of credentials is time-consuming, which can cause delays and disruptions within an organization.
How Can Employees Be Trained To Use Multi-Factor Authentication?
Putting together educational campaigns to educate them on how to use MFA, such as putting up physical posters, banners, emails, and other communications throughout your organization’s buildings to explain why MFA is essential in today’s digital age, as well as inform everyone about the risks associated with not using it – like identity theft or lost data due to hacker attacks or malware. Additionally, let them know that you are making this transition for their safety and convenience – not as a nuisance or tracking policy.
Strongly urge all your users to take advantage of this new technology – installing MFA on all applicable devices and services – to benefit from its added security measures during this digital era.
Multifactor authentication provides an extra layer of security that protects your business from online attackers looking for easy targets with weak security protocols in place. With its ability to verify identities through multiple factors such as passwords, encryption keys, and biometrics, MFA ensures that only authorized personnel can access your essential data and resources – making it an invaluable tool for businesses looking for ways to keep their networks secure. As such, we strongly recommend implementing multifactor authentication across all systems within your organization if you want the best protection against external attacks.
If you are looking for an IT firm to outsource your cybersecurity to, ANAX Business Technology is at your service. We have been providing cybersecurity solutions to help hundreds of businesses just like yours stay secure online. We offer 24/7 monitoring, real-time alerts, and an advanced security system that will keep your business protected from hackers and other threats.
Small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) are constantly under threat from cyberattacks. In fact, SMB cybersecurity issues frequently arise as 60% of all attacks target SMBs. These Cyber attacks include data breaches, malware attacks, distributed denial-of-service (DDoS), phishing attacks, spyware and others.
The reason for this is simple: SMBs often lack the robust cybersecurity infrastructure of larger organizations, making them easier targets.
However, there are steps that you can take to simplify your cybersecurity and make your company a less attractive target. In this blog post, we’ll explore some of the most effective cybersecurity solutions for SMBs. By taking these steps, you can help protect your business from the ever-growing threat of cybercrime.
Why Small Businesses are prone to Cyber Attacks?
Small and medium businesses (SMBs) are increasingly becoming targeted by cyber criminals. With data breaches causing significant disruption, loss of business operations and potential financial losses, it is imperative for SMBs to take cybersecurity seriously.
In small companies, these problems result from a lack of resources as well as skills. Typically, smaller businesses do not have dedicated cybersecurity experts who protect them from hackers. You can take steps to close your IT knowledge gap, but cybersecurity is usually an area you need outside help with. In addition, SMBs often rely on outdated and vulnerable systems, making them easy targets for cyber criminals.
Cybersecurity helps ensure the safety of critical information such as customer data and confidential client files, protecting not only your sensitive data but also your reputation. Implementing robust cybersecurity measures including appropriate access control protocols and regularly monitoring activities on networks are essential steps to protect digital assets from malicious actors.
Some unsettling stats on SMB Cybersecurity Threats
There’s a 31% increase in the average number of attacks per company since 2020
On average, SMBs lose $212,000 annually due to cyber incidents that affected suppliers with whom they share data.
44% of data breaches include customer personally identifiable information (PII).
It takes an average of 212 days to identify a data breach and an average of 75 days to contain a data breach.
Phishing, having been observed in 41% of cyberattacks, emerged as the top infection victor in 2021. And other top threat victors included vulnerability exploitation, stolen credentials, Brute Force, remote desktop, removable media, and password spraying.
6 steps to take to Increase your Small Businesses Cybersecurity
When it comes to protecting your small business from potential cyber threats, taking proactive steps is key.
1.To ensure proper cybersecurity, begin by setting a strict password policy that requires complex passwords to be used and updated regularly. Also, a password manager is a valuable tool for small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) looking to increase their cybersecurity. Password managers store user credentials in an encrypted format, making it difficult for attackers to gain access to them. This is especially important if you have multiple users accessing the same system or website.
2.Consider using two-factor authentication (2FA) to further secure critical systems from unauthorized access. This involves entering a one-time passcode or code via SMS text message in addition to your username and password, providing an extra layer of security.
3.Ensure your team is educated on the latest security protocols and best practices. Equip employees with tools to protect customers’ data, such as strong passwords and monitored internet use guidelines. Establish clear standards of behavior so everyone understands their role in protecting company information. Penalties should be clearly articulated so that all employees understand the expectations set forth by your cybersecurity policies.
4.Make sure your operating systems are up to date with the latest software and security patches. Many cyberattacks exploit known vulnerabilities in outdated software, so it’s important to stay on top of security updates and patches to minimize your risk.
5.Invest in antivirus software; pick one that offers both local and cloud-based protection. Cloud-based antivirus solutions are particularly useful for SMBs, as they can be accessed remotely and updated automatically. This helps ensure that your systems are always protected from the latest threats.
6.Regularly backup your data in case of a security incident. To ensure you can recover important information quickly and seamlessly in the event of an attack, consider using a cloud-based backup service or secondary server to create redundant copies of your data.
By taking these proactive steps to strengthen your SMB’s cybersecurity, you can help mitigate the risk of cyberattacks and protect your systems and valuable data from being compromised.
How to get started with implementing these changes
Implementing changes undoubtedly requires considerable planning and organization. Businesses need to assess their current levels of risk, identify vulnerabilities, and prioritize their implementation efforts.
One of the easiest ways for small businesses to start implementing effective cybersecurity changes is to create an inventory of all hardware and software currently being used.
Write down the guidelines needed as part of your cybersecurity update. For example, guidelines for choosing passwords, frequency of updates, and secure storage protocols.
Next, prioritize what needs to be done by identifying the most pressing issues first and creating goals with realistic timelines.
An action plan can then be created based on these goals to provide a roadmap for implementation.
Finally, any staff who will be actively involved in the changes should be trained accordingly; they need situational awareness and knowledge of policies and procedures in order to best support their role during this process.
All these steps are necessary for successful change implementation.
The Benefits of Making Small Cybersecurity Updates
Taking small steps to update cybersecurity can have significant benefits for any business, especially smaller organizations with limited resources.
First and foremost, these steps can help protect vital customer and company data from malicious actors. Cybersecurity updates can also help prevent damage from ransomware attacks that are designed to steal, destroy or encrypt sensitive data. These changes will help increase trust in your business and build a reputation for protecting the privacy of your customers.
Additionally, updating cybersecurity practices can help save time and money by reducing downtime from security incidents. By minimizing these types of incidents, you will be able to focus on growing your business instead of dealing with security issues. This allows more resources to be allocated to ongoing improvement efforts and can be a stepping stone to better security overall.
