Small businesses face unique web security challenges, but there are simple steps you can take to protect your business. These mistakes are commonly made because small businesses don’t always make security a top priority.

These errors and oversights can leave your business exposed to a number of cyber security threats. Ask yourself, “Is my small business secure?”

1. No investment or dedicated resources

Cyber security is typically a low priority for small businesses with limited resources. But the risks posed by malware and hacking are severe enough that many small businesses are unable to recover from an attack. And it’s not just the remediation costs; consider the reputation damage, loss of business and legal costs that can follow an incident. A small investment can go a long way to protect your business and protect your customers’ information.

2. Unaware staff

Your staff will always be your greatest asset and your biggest cyber security risk. One unsafe click by a staff member on your network can be critical for your business.

Put in place an online security awareness program to keep you and your staff informed about good online security practices.

3. No back-ups

With the ever-increasing threat of ransomware, many businesses are caught off guard and without back-ups of their systems.

An incredibly effective and simple way to safeguard against malicious cyber activity, hardware failure and theft is to regularly back-up your data. If you don’t have a back-up, you can lose everything on your system.There are many ways to back-up your data and you need to consider the most effective way for your business.

4. Out of date

In 2017, malware called WanaCry crippled hundreds of thousands of systems around the world. The affected businesses had not installed a software update (for a Microsoft operating system), leaving their systems vulnerable.

Keeping your organization’s computers, websites and other applications up-to-date is one of the best ways to protect your business from being hacked.

5. Bring your own device

Many organisations have a bring your own device (BYOD) policy, allowing network connectivity on personal devices. While this can be an efficient way to do business, it can create vulnerabilities in your network. Anything connected to your network needs to have the same security safeguards as your systems.

Your business information can now easily walk out the door, be stored in apps where data ownership can change (such as messaging platforms) and it can be very hard to keep track of where data is kept.