It is estimated that 43% of all cyberattacks are aimed at small businesses, but only 14% of those businesses are prepared to defend themselves against an attack. The average cost of recovering from a cyberattack is $200,000, which is enough to put any small business in a very difficult position.

That’s why it’s so important that you digitally protect your business.

Unfortunately, many businesses don’t consider the role that their employees have to play in IT data security. Even though it’s important that you implement the right security software and put processes in place, you are still at risk if your employees are making simple mistakes.

If your employees haven’t received security training, they are almost certainly more of a weakness than an asset to your cybersecurity. Luckily, the right cybersecurity training can turn your staff into an extra layer of security instead of a liability. 

Managing Emails 

Most businesses use emails on a daily basis, but they can pose a security risk if they are not managed correctly. 

Phishing emails are a very common method that criminals use to get past your security systems and steal sensitive data. If your employees are not aware of how to spot phishing emails and they are clicking malicious links, this puts you at great risk.

Social engineering techniques may also be used to encourage your employees to share private information about the business over email. It’s important that you give adequate training on how to use email safely, especially when sending company documents via email.

In addition to having email protection and filtering software in place, to strengthen your email security, you should train your employees on how to recognize the signs of a phishing attack, including suspicious domain addresses, links, or attachments; grammatical errors; and threatening or overly urgent language.

Creating Passwords 

A weak password is one of the biggest online security mistakes you can make. Unfortunately, many people are still using weak passwords because they don’t understand how to create a strong one or they want something that is short and easy to remember.

You need to ensure that your employees are all using strong passwords, and it’s also critical that they don’t repeat passwords for multiple accounts—otherwise, they are making life easier for hackers. Using a password manager can be incredibly helpful when employees are nervous to create multiple passwords for fear of forgetting. Using multi-factor authentication is another simple, incredibly effective tool that should be utilized for password protection.

Updating Often

Your security software is only effective if it is kept updated, which is often an issue for businesses. Many employees will ignore notifications about necessary updates on their computers because they don’t want to be disrupted while they are working. However, updates often patch weaknesses that leave you vulnerable to online attacks, so neglecting them is very dangerous—in fact, correctly updated software patches could have prevented one of the most widespread ransomware attacks of the past few years. It’s important to discuss this issue with your employees and make sure that they understand the importance of regular updates. 

If you are concerned about the impact that your employees may be having on your cyber security, you should invest in cybersecurity training from a reputable IT company. They will be able to identify any security issues and give you advice on how to improve security throughout your business.