Cyberattacks involving businesses have become rampant nowadays. Since only a few owners are prepared for this type of criminal activity, it makes them vulnerable to such attacks. In fact, according to CNBC, more than 50% of all small to medium businesses in the U.S. have experienced a breach in the previous year alone. It is continuously increasing as more and more businesses are transitioning to online platforms. Four out of ten of which have experienced multiple incidents. With your business being at risk of being victimized by these culprits, it is a must to consider these measures to secure your business from possible failure due to these illegal acts.
Secure your facility
For most business owners, operations is the internal engine that powers their entire businesses, and its location should be secured at all costs. Therefore, using complicated high-security locks and installing security cameras and alarm systems to secure your facility should be on top of your priorities, especially now that you rarely visit your site.
If you’re renting a commercial space, never settle for the bolts and locks that come with it because they’re likely to be substandard. They might put your business at grave risk. Change the locks immediately upon starting, returning, or transferring your operations to that building.
If there aren’t any security systems installed, you’d better consider getting one and make sure that it is well-monitored and maintained. You can hire someone to monitor your security cameras, or you can monitor them yourself remotely through your phone. For security alarms, you may do a security drill once every three months to make sure that it’s fully functioning.
Pro tip: Know the difference between a commercial-grade security camera and a consumer-grade camera before buying one. For small to medium businesses, a commercial-grade camera is ideal.
Invest in data protection measures
In this information age, businesses should be required to have their employees undergo training in data protection. You’ll be surprised at how it can affect your brand and benefit your business in the long run. While it may be costly, it could be the only thing standing between your company’s success and failure in the future, so it’s worth investing money in.
Now that most customers are doing online transactions, you have to make sure that their data is secure from any form of online crimes. Maintaining a secure online environment for your customers can earn their trust and loyalty. This can surely earn you more customers in the future.
Perform appropriate security checks on external people
Other sellers, suppliers, and vendors are among the external people you’ll need to work with to expand your business. And while you want to start working with them immediately, you won’t want to expose your business at risk just because you think that a safety check isn’t necessary.
If you are dealing with a seller, make sure to check their credit history and have someone investigate them for any previous complaints. Make sure to also check for any impending cases they may have. On the other hand, when dealing with vendors, it is your responsibility as a business owner to understand the hiring procedure. You should only deal with vendors that are transparent with their hiring process.
Hire your personal protection
You will do everything in your power to protect your business from anything that might cause it to fail. With the knowledge of all the secret trades and the entire business operations, you are your own business and, therefore, you should be protected at all costs. It is ideal that you get yourself somebody who can keep you away from possible harm.
Hiring a personal executive protection team won’t only give you peace of mind and keep you away from possible attacks, but it can also increase your productivity, as you will have smoother travel every time. Your team can also prevent unnecessary interruptions so that you can get to more important meeting places in a short time.
Like an earthquake, you can never predict when there is a cyberattack to your business. It’s a threat in the industry that should be taken seriously and prepared for. While investing in your business’ security measures may not give you a direct return of investment, it can keep your business from having to spend more on fixing security breaches, restoring affected systems, and dealing with settlements with the victims—your customers.
