The risks associated with cyber crime are of increasing concern to business, with small businesses in the UK bearing the brunt of an estimated £17bn cost in 2018*.

Almost two-thirds of UK companies employing between 10 and 49 people experienced some form of cyber crime last year, with the average cost of attacks on small businesses being £65,000* (covering damaged assets, financial penalties, and downtime). Thankfully there are a few simple steps you can take to help reduce the risk to your business:

1. Keep your passwords secure

You should make sure you choose strong passwords, and not to reuse them for multiple logins. You should also consider regularly changing your passwords. Services such as LastPass and 1Password can help you achieve this by generating and securely storing unique passwords for every service.

2. Install anti-virus and anti-malware software

Make sure every computer on your network has up-to-date virus and malware protection installed. We provide Bitdefender GravityZone as part of our IT support packages which offers protection from viruses, malware, and ransomware.

3. Use two-factor authentication

Where available, it is highly recommended to enable two-factor authentication. This provides another barrier to those attempting to access your account in the event your password is compromised or leaked.

4. Keep software up-to-date

Cyber criminals can find routes into your accounts or systems through unpatched vulnerabilities in software. You should regularly make sure any installed software, operating systems, and anti-virus are kept up-to-date.

5. Watch out for phishing scams

A simple email or call can very quickly result in a loss of personal data. Be wary of any emails or telephone calls asking for your personal details and always check the link you are clicking is taking you to the correct website. We've seen countless examples of web pages that look superficially legitimate, but are in fact simply in place to steal your username and password.

Summary

Cyber crime is an increasingly common and costly issue. However, these practical steps can help reduce the risk posed by cyber criminals to your business and any data you store.

As a managed IT service provider we can offer support packages tailored to your business. We deploy anti-virus and anti-malware software, monitor your systems, and ensure software is kept updated and secure. Get in touch with us or click here for more information.

* Source: Small businesses hit hardest by cyber crime cost (Computer Weekly).