Almost 90% of small businesses say they don’t believe they would be targeted in a cybersecurity attack. Are you one of those businesses ready to make a dangerous mistake with sensitive data?

While so many businesses think they’re safe, they might find out the hard way they’re not. In 2016 alone, half of all small businesses suffered some sort of security breach.

Neglecting this important area of your company is about as smart as a YouTuber looking to fight a pro-MMA brawler. Take these steps to lock down your business security right now!

Back-Up Your Data

Imagine this: hackers breach your systems, gaining access to your sensitive data. They take what they want, then they wipe it.

Data backup is just good IT security from a small business sense. Use data backups to take the extra step to protect yourself from malware, hackers, and other online threats. Pair this with an IT security consulting service that will be able to advise you on how best to protect your business and provide managed IT services that cater to your needs.

Lock Up Your Hardware

Do your employees work remotely? If so, do they use laptops or company phones?

If your employees use equipment that you provide, always take precautions to make sure they’re safe. If they use their own, ensure that they have firewalls and malware protection installed.

Change Your Passwords

Password protection is useless if it’s easy to crack. Creating hard to guess passwords is one of the easiest small business steps you can take.

Something like “password123” is too easy, but so is anything with your company name and a number. So “smallbiz2019” is out, too.

Luckily, creating difficult passwords is easy these days. There are password generators online; make sure you and your team use them.

Swipe In, Swipe Out

Using ID cards to track who is around is a small but smart upgrade. You can get a simple swipe card or have cards with employee photos on them.

You can install swipe stations at doors and even on office equipment. Services, like Bodno, make it easy to get your entire team on board.

Keep Your Virus Protection Up to Date

Do you have a firewall and virus detection software installed? If so, when was the last time you updated it?

Hackers are evolving every day. They’re constantly inventing new ways to get into your secure systems.

Having the latest update is easy and most of the time, free. Don’t install security software once and forget about it — update it.

Train Your Team

You can have all of the security software and protection equipment installed but still be vulnerable. You need to make sure your team is on board with all of the necessary precautions.

Take a day to really train your team and get everyone on the same page. Locking down your sensitive data is crucial — don’t skimp this important step.

Get Your Business Security in Order Today!

These are just a few of the steps you can take to make sure your business security is where you need it to be. Securing your assets is too important to neglect so do it today.

Once you’ve got your systems secure, relax and browse our hot sports gossip dedicated to the NFL, NHL, MBA and more!