An alarming number of SMEs don’t take IT security issues seriously, in fact a survey by HM Government’s Cyber Street found that around 1/4 don’t think criminals will target small businesses. This is despite the rise in online fraud, viruses, hacking and data theft we see reported every week in the press.

Here are the top 5 things you need to think about if you run a small business and want to improve your security.

1) Be aware of the IT security issue

A full scale security breach is likely to cost between £50,000 and £100,000 and take over a week (more likely two) for you to recover from operationally. That means you may lose two weeks of work on top of whatever damage is done to your data and hardware. Cyber criminals will target SMEs as they are often seen as an easier victim when compared to larger companies.

2) Don’t be afraid of the cost

The cost of creating a secure system is often over-estimated and puts business owners off before they’ve even started. There are now a range of cost-effective IT security solutions that can be matched to the budget available. The cost for not implementing a system is likely to far outweigh the actual cost of running your IT in a secure environment.

3) Educate your team and make them security savvy

The weakest part of your IT security may not be the technology you employ but the knowledge of those using it. It is vital your staff know why IT security is important and are trained in using the system properly. Some basic elements such as password strength, removal of “dead” user accounts and regular security updates will be crucial to the effectiveness of your system, however much you invest.

4) Spoofing

One of the most common attacks you will experience will be by criminals trying to impersonate legitimate contacts in order to gain access to your system. This is why multi-level security access is needed for the most sensitive parts of your infrastructure. The more sensitive the data, the more you will need to spend on security but a layered approach means you may not need to spend the same on every part of your network.

5) Accidental Breaches

Often criminals will target employees rather than the business itself and try to gain access by stealing their legitimate login details. With the increase in offsite working and proliferation of devices that may be accessing your network, careful security protocols need to be in place for those key team members who have the highest levels of access.

IGC Technical Solutions are experts at creating secure IT systems for small businesses. We would be happy to take a look at your current IT system and advise on any security concerns you may have.

Please give us a call on  0161 660 5154 or use our contact form to get in touch.