Cyber Security Best Practices for the Small Business (Part 2 of 2)

One of the greatest threats to the vitality of a small business could be the failure to realize that it is susceptible to sophisticated cyber attacks that could paralyze it – just as they have with much bigger organizations and agencies.

Maybe they’re not making the headlines as Sony and Target have, but small businesses are dealt debilitating blows because of cyber attacks, according to the U.S. Small Business Administration, which released tips as part of National Cyber Security Awareness Month in October.

In this second installment on Cyber Security Best Practices for the Small Business, we offer 5 more tips the Federal Communications Commission and the SBA suggest to help protect your company against cyber threats:

1. Limit and/or restrict employee access to data. Determine which employees should have access to certain data and information. You should never give one employee access to all of your data systems – only the systems he requires for his job. As a general rule, employees should not be able to install any software on their equipment without permission.
2. Establish best practices with payment cards. Talk to payment card processors to make sure you are protected by anti-fraud services. Ensure that security measures are set up with so that payment systems are isolated from less secure programs.
3. Backup data and information. Ensure that your team regularly backs up important data, including financial files, human resources information, and accounts receivables/payables. Use an automatic backup system, if possible, to ensure the process is executed weekly.
4. Limit access to physical equipment. Only assign administrative privileges of laptops and computers to key IT staff and other trusted employees. Also, ensure that individual users have separate and strong passwords.
5. Create a mobile device policy. Because they’re more susceptible to theft, mobile devices such as laptops, smartphones and tablets can pose significant risks, especially if they contain confidential company information. Again, establish a policy that requires to use strong passwords and the encryption of data.

If you believe your company has been a victim of a cyber attack, contact local law enforcement, the state attorney general and or the Federal Trade Commission. If you’re searching for a data center solution with security measures already built in, contact us at Lifeline Data Centers. We’ve been helping companies with secure colocation center solutions since 2001.

Other resources:

• Infographic: The 22 Data Center Compliance Acronyms You Need to Know
• White Paper: Why Data Center Compartmentalization is Important
• Lifeline One Sheet: What You Need to Know About Lifeline Data Centers

Alex Carroll

Managing Member at Lifeline Data Centers

Alex, co-owner, is responsible for all real estate, construction and mission critical facilities: hardened buildings, power systems, cooling systems, fire suppression, and environmentals. Alex also manages relationships with the telecommunications providers and has an extensive background in IT infrastructure support, database administration and software design and development. Alex architected Lifeline’s proprietary GRCA system and is hands-on every day in the data center.