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5 min read

IT For Small Business: Never Skimp On Cybersecurity!

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60% Of Small Businesses Will Be Targeted By Cyber Attackers. Don’t Make It Easy For Them.

If you think that number seems overinflated or pessimistic, I hate to tell you, my friend, but you’d be dead wrong. In fact, a 2021 survey showed that 42% of small businesses were attacked just within the last year. Yikes!

That means if your company has anywhere from a handful to hundreds of employees, your risk of being targeted for an attack within the next twelve months is only slightly more favorable than a coin flip.

Skimping on your IT department’s needs is like hanging out a welcome sign and leaving the door unlocked for hackers to waltz right on in whenever they please. While it might save you money in the very beginning, you’d be risking your livelihood — and the livelihoods of your employees — on a pretty unwise gamble.

At some point, you will need a dedicated team of experts who know IT for small businesses like the backs of their hands. Better to form that relationship now, before you’ve had a critical security breach, right?

BEMO can give you the best software solutions, managed by experts. You’ll never worry about security gaps again with us in your corner.

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IT For Small Business: What do you need to know?

IT departments handle everything from setting up company networks and installing new software to running regular security checks and providing routine maintenance for all systems. They do it all, but by far, the most pressing concern for SMB IT departments is how to prevent cyber attacks. If you’re searching for help because you don’t want your business to become the next victim of an email phishing scam or another security breach, then you’re already taking a step in the right direction.

But what if you’ve shelled out for high-tech cybersecurity solutions in the past and still failed to prevent some attacks? What could our experts at BEMO provide that your top-dollar firewall did not?

The truth is, cybersecurity software like firewalls and other common solutions are only as good as their configuration and maintenance allow.

You can pour tens of thousands of dollars (if not more, for larger companies) into the best software money can buy, but if you don’t configure it correctly and keep up with regular testing and updates, that shiny new hacker-proof shield will develop more holes than a classic Swiss cheese.

Great IT for business doesn’t come in a box or a download.

It comes in the form of real human beings who understand your business, get to know your employees, and use their years of industry experience to meet your individual needs.

What are some of the top IT tools you should have?

Though a human team will be your best IT asset, you do still need to back them up with capable software solutions. Every superhero needs some tools, and BEMO engineers are no different. There are a wide variety of great programs you could choose to make up your main business management stack, but let’s stay focused on security for now.

Conveniently, you can find almost anything you need within the Microsoft ecosystem. Where applicable, we’ve included links to the products we use on a daily basis and frequently recommend to our clients.

Cover all your bases by choosing tools in each of the following categories:

  1. Multi-factor authentication (MFA)

    If you have a properly configured MFA solution and a strong password, you’re on the right track. In fact, if you can prioritize only these two things, that will still get you more than halfway to your goal of maintaining a secure system. Key takeaway: MFA is essential.

  2. Security information and event management (SIEM)

    Would your IT department notice if you suddenly had an influx of traffic from a suspicious source? An AI-assisted detection tool, such as Microsoft’s Azure Sentinel SIEM, will send out an alert that, no, it’s probably not okay that someone on the other side of the world just tried about a thousand login attempts over the past few minutes (who knew?! We did.).

  3. Admin portal

    Who’s in charge here, anyway? If anyone and everyone can access your system equally, someday you might find that your night janitor has been moonlighting as a company exec in his spare time. With an admin portal, you can designate authorized users who are permitted to see sensitive internal data and make changes within your organization.

  4. VPN

    Going without a VPN — especially if some of your team works remotely in coffee shops or libraries — is like walking into a nuclear bomb site without a radiation suit and wondering why your skin suddenly feels itchy. It’s just not smart. Keep your employee connections protected with a VPN, even if those connections are coming from cell phones and tablets not located in the office. We recommend Perimeter 81, but almost any choice will be better than nothing.

  5. Password vault

    There’s a reason that “password” and “12345” are so frequently used as passwords, even if they offer little more protection than a raincoat in a tsunami. It’s tough to remember dozens of different login credentials, let alone change them frequently enough to keep hackers on their toes. With a password manager like Keeper, you can not only store passwords securely, but also do nifty things like send encrypted messages and monitor for company passwords being used on the dark web.

    A security stack that contains a solution from each of the above categories should get you started. Again, however, we must reiterate:

    Your tools are only helpful if they are configured correctly and diligently maintained. That means even if you fork over a large sum for every software solution you think you’ll need, you still have to find experts to manage that software.

Why should you consider outsourcing your technology needs?

If you’re not sure whether you’ll be able to properly configure each component in your security stack (or if you’re having trouble choosing the best programs in the first place), that’s a glowing neon sign telling you that your IT team needs some assistance. Closing your eyes and pointing to a list of “best security programs” does not count.

Every unsecured connection to your company network is an open portal waiting for an attacker to exploit. Chances are, if your IT department is overwhelmed (or nonexistent), you’ve got more than a few vulnerabilities in your system. And without the manpower to address even the most urgent issues, how can you be expected to find and close every single security gap?

Put simply: you can’t. But you also can’t afford not to.

When you think of cyber attacks on businesses, you probably think of lost, corrupted, or stolen data. Your proprietary product information could indeed land in the hands of competitors or saboteurs, but the damage doesn’t stop there.

If hackers get access to your internal data, it could cause a host of problems for your customers, too. They could be subject to identity theft, fraud, or even doxxing (having their private information published publicly - yikes!).

Once you lose the trust of your customers, you’ll lose their business along with your reputation. And if the problem is extensive enough, you could lose your entire company.

When the solution is as simple as reaching out to BEMO, it seems kind of silly to risk going unprotected.


Why choose BEMO for your small to medium-sized business (SMB) IT needs?

When you outsource your IT to BEMO, you’ll have peace of mind knowing your system is in good hands—and you don’t even have to think about it if you don’t want to. That’s the beauty of choosing a team that offers fully managed IT solutions.

Whether you choose to augment your existing team with our remote IT specialists or offload every single annoying, menial task onto our plate, you’ll be able to sleep each night knowing your company’s technology is safe, secure, and managed by IT experts.

Start a conversation with us by scheduling a meeting.

Want to learn more about how you can keep your business cybersecure? 

Download our free eBook with the top 9 cybersecurity tips from BEMO's CEO & CISO. Fill out the form below to receive your copy! ➡️

 

Top 9 Cybersecurity Tips for SMBs (1)

 

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