How Can You Improve Cybersecurity at Your Small Business?

Best Cybersecurity Experts in Atlanta: Centerpoint IT

Contact Centerpoint IT to learn more about our IT consulting services and improve cybersecurity at your Atlanta business.

In 2019, the largest bank hacking case in history exposed over 100 million records containing data about customers in the U.S. and Canada. Also last year, Equifax was told to put aside $700 million to settle claims associated with a 2017 data breach. Cybersecurity continues to be a problem for large and small businesses around the world. If your business in Atlanta isn’t properly protected, now is the time to take corrective action.

A study by the University of Maryland quantified the rate of cyberattacks at one every 39 seconds. This impacts 33% of Americans each year. Under this constant attack, wise business leaders are taking action to protect themselves from unnecessary exposure. Unsecure passwords are by far the most dangerous security risks and easily corrected.

Here are four other ways to protect your customers — and keep from paying out cybersecurity claims — in the years to come.

How Can You Improve Your Company’s Cybersecurity?

Training, data backups, an experienced consultant and a secure Wi-Fi form layers of protection and recovery to minimize threats and maximize the opportunity for a full, fast recovery in the event of a data breach.

Give Proper Training to Your Employees

To secure your data, first, train your employees. Even if you completely revamp your business cybersecurity plan, it doesn’t do you any good unless your employees follow the policies. Given proper instructions regarding the collection and storage of sensitive information, employees will handle private and company information more appropriately. Also, it only takes one click on a suspicious email to unleash malware into your network. So, make sure employees know how to vet out an email and attachment before opening them.

Back-Up the Data to Create Redundancy

Unfortunately, many cyberattacks go further than stealing data. They can also wipe out computers and the servers where data is stored. When data loss goes public, it can cost the affected business its reputation. Concerned customers and business partners may decide not to do business with your company if you fall prey to cybercriminals. Every individual and department should backup data regularly. Using cloud storage to do so helps you avoid cyber-attacks and makes data accessible to remote employees.

Hire an IT Consultant

An experienced IT consultant can help you formulate a cybersecurity plan that fully protects your business. Centerpoint IT gives your Atlanta company full-fledged security and other IT services. Let us help you migrate your data backups to cloud storage and evaluate the rest of your IT infrastructure for performance and security opportunities. We can also help you set up cybersecurity training, policies and procedures.

Secure Your Wi-Fi Networks

If you are a public-facing business, you may offer open Wi-Fi to guests and employees. Although convenient, this is a terrible policy in terms of cybersecurity. At a minimum, make sure that your business has a private and secure network reserved for transactions and data transfers. Hackers love finding their way into servers through weak Wi-Fi. Only give login credentials to your secure business network to trusted employees and keep your circle of trust small. For customers and visitors, Centerpoint IT consultants can help you set up a different network that won’t put your data at risk.

Contact Centerpoint IT to learn more about our cybersecurity services and improve cybersecurity at your Atlanta business.