Cyberthreats are becoming increasingly sophisticated, and with more of our business being online than ever before, security is quickly becoming a priority for small businesses. Below is an outline of some up-to-date measures every small business can take to protect themselves from cyber threats.

Pentesting

Pentesting, otherwise known as penetration testing, is an offensive security test in which you simulate real cyber attacks on your own systems. This can very quickly highlight weak points and flaws, making it useful to do first. Without diving into the methodologies of pentesting, it’s worth considering this as being something to outsource. The key reason is that pentesting services will have more up-to-date attacks that they can simulate, something a non-technical owner wouldn’t be unable to do. And, of course, you may have subconscious biases.

So, by getting a pentesting report, you can go away and work on how to fix your newly and professionally identified weaknesses.

Cloud-based ERPs

Again, as threats evolve, there are often going to be external firms that handle this better than we do ourselves. A cloud-based ERP system can mean, with very little starting capital, access to the comprehensive infrastructure, which includes security, in the SaaS platform.

Cloud-based ERPs are often much better at staying up to date along with offering upgrades. They also have a whole host of other benefits, such as being scalable, cheaper, and more convenient – ideal for smaller companies where it’s not worth building their own infrastructure.

Training

Even if it’s just you that’s involved in the business, you shouldn’t neglect training. Specifically, cybersecurity training can help keep you stay updated on the latest phishing attacks, how to spot and prevent them, and general standard practices within a business like a password and access management.

Training courses are offered online and are included as a business expense, but there are also physical workshops that you can attend – these may be better at helping you retain the information. There are tons of options when it comes to cybersecurity training, just make sure to not only use the free, older courses which could be somewhat obsolete.

Password manager

You may believe Google’s built-in password manager is safe enough, but there are better ways to go about this. Dedicated software that can safely store and encrypt your passwords will do a much better job at keeping your passwords safe. Plus, they can still have the convenience of autofill on web browsers.

Beyond this, it’s important not to keep passwords physically stored anywhere and to use various passwords. One of the biggest mistakes is to use the same password for everything. If this is compromised somewhere, all of your existing logins across all websites and services are now compromised.

Update your software

Many people wonder if they need anti-virus software. In truth, Windows and Mac do a pretty good job protecting your device with their built-in security, but getting credible anti-virus software won’t hurt.

More important than anti-virus software is to keep existing software up to date, including your operating system. New updates contain security patches and responses to new threats, so this is crucial.

Finally, use a credible VPN service – particularly when connecting to public WiFi. And keep this VPN software up to date at all times.