Monday 7 October 2013

Online Security For The Small Business: What's The Score?

Online Security
Any small business will already understand the importance of online security - if not for their employees and themselves, but for the business itself. Imagine being on the receiving end of a hack which results in personal details being released, or a virus that knocks your computer network for six. The problem with some small business owners is they are a little too complacent, with the mind-set of:

"Oh, I'll sort that later, it's an expense I could do without and it won't happen to me anyway."

While it's natural for any business to analyse their spending and cut back on unnecessary investments, online security isn't one of those commodities that can be forgotten about. Even with the economic climate the way it is, there are some things that are worth investing in and protecting your assets is one of them.

Recent research by the internet security giant, Symantec, has found that there has been a significant shift in website threats for small businesses to be a little more concerned than usual. While in previous years, chances of being targeted over larger, more lucrative businesses has been circumstantial but Part 1 of a new Symantec Infographic has shown that this is no longer the case. Nowadays, there have been more and more targeted attacks aimed at small and medium businesses rather than larger enterprises, highlighting the importance of online security, regardless of how many employees you have.

This infographic also mentioned the alarming statistic regarding security breaches - 12% were found to come from within a company's network, implying that you need to protect against third parties from outside and inside your network. The infographic also informed us that there has been a 13% increase in SME attacks in 2012, compared with 2011.

Part 2 of the infographic includes snippets of information about the current phishing trends, including a phenomenal increase in social media phishing. This highlights the importance for online security and diligence within small business setting, especially one which utilises social media networks to their advantage. It's also important to ensure your employees stay at the top of their game and are careful about what they click on when browsing the internet and social media sites during any downtime.

Owners of small businesses shouldn't ignore the importance of online security, investing in anti-virus software and network protection wherever possible. In an age where almost every business has an online presence, we will only see malicious activity rise - don't fall victim to it.


Did you like this article? Please let me know by leaving me your valued comments in the comments section below.

Related articles:
Must-Remember Tips In Securing Your Corporate Social Media Accounts
Spear-Phishing On Twitter: How Not To Become The Catch Of The Day


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1 comment:

  1. I really want to thank the author for this post. Keep up the good work.

    ReplyDelete

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