Security Tips for Small Businesses

Operating a small business is a difficult endeavor. Keeping that business safe can be even more challenging. There are two main areas of concern that need to be monitored in order to ensure that a business remains secure. The first is protecting the physical assets of the business. The second is assuring that computer technology and use of the internet by the business is always done securely. In short, two questions arise:

• How are my physical assets protected?
• How is virtual data protected? 

Thoughmany businesses now function purely online, the small business still survives within the world of sweat, blood, and tears. Protecting these establishments is important. Inside the storefrontis property to be sold, liquid assets, financial data, and other information that could harm the business if it got into the wrong hands. The first question you must ask yourself when securing your small business is:What have I done to protect my storefront from burglars? What more can I do?
Here a few suggestions to help you determine if your physical assets are truly protected. Do these few things, and you will increase the safety of your business:

• Install a security system. Place cameras along the perimeter and interior of the building, and place a well-lit sign near the front door, ensuring visitors that the building is protected and that they are safe. 
• Replace the locks as soon as the building is purchased. You don’t know how many copies of those keys the former owner made and to whom he gave them. Install new locks as part of the new security system for added benefits. 
• Minimize liquid assets being kept within the store. If money is procured in a single day, take it to the bank immediately if possible. If this is not possible, it should be stored in a safe in which only a few people have access. If there was not a safe installed into the building when it was purchased, you should consider purchasing one now.
• Shred and burn all financial documents. As soon as financial data has been used, shred it. Then, at a scheduled time, burn all of the shredded paper. Leave no trace of your information in any form ever.

Computers and the Internet: Creating and Protecting an Internet Entity

Marketing for a small business benefits from e-mail and social media. Costs are reduced when computer technology is used to automate parts of the business. There are many benefits to owning an online business or at least bringing your traditional business to the virtual market. Here you can transform your business into a living, breathing internet entity. It will speak in tweets and likes, move money from one account to another before you can blink your eyes, and make your life a whole lot easier.
But if you fail to keep this child safe, then, like any parent, you’re going to be dealing with a sick child. And that’s always miserable.

So you need to ask yourself:How does the company protect important business information on its own systems and when shared on the internet? How is virtual data protected?

Luckily, there are many ways to protect your virtual assets just as you have protected your physical ones. Follow these directions,and you’ll be one step closer to securing your small business:

• Use 2-step verification for accessing company computers. This requires a traditional password be entered into the computer followed by a second mode of verification. Google’s 2-Step Verification gives you two options. You can receive a code through text or phone call to be entered into the system, or you can use a security key that plugs into the USB port of the computer.
• Join InfraGard. InfraGard is a partnership between private institutions and the FBI.Institutions that participate are given opportunities to attend regular meetings in which local FBI agents address cyber-threats and mitigation techniques. This allows small businesses to stay up-to-date with modern cybersecurity techniques and become familiar with local agents who are valuable assets in securing your small business and its assets, both physical and virtual.
• Secure your network from intrusion. Encrypt your wireless data using a WPA2+AES encryption standard. Become knowledgeable about what different standards are available to you by reading from the experts at HowtoGeek.
• Use a virtual private network to encrypt your data after it leaves your wireless networkand enters the unsecure networks of the world wide web. A virtual private network is essentially a tunnel into the internet in which your small business can roam invisibly to hackers and other cyberthreats. By linking to a third party server, none of your private information is ever revealed.

There are many ways to protect your small business in addition to those listed here. Accessing the FCC’s “Ten Cybersecurity Tips for Small Businesses” is a worthwhile place to consider analyzing further options, but if you take into consideration both your storefront and internet presence, then you are in a good position. Follow these tips, and you will be safe. But always remember: stay up-to-date and be smart.

This is a guestpost