By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Accept
Start Your Business Magazine
  • Store
    Merchandise
    Subscribe
  • Features

    Grow, expand and leverage your business..

    Grow your start up business with our experts and industry insiders…

    Get Started

    Quick Links

    • Agenda
    • Business Books
    • Marketing
    • Technology
    • Wellbeing
    • Finance
    Reading: Data Security

    Our Newsletters

    Our website stores cookies on your computer. They allow us to remember you and help personalise your experience with our site..

    Read our privacy policy for more information.
  • Book
  • Trending
    Technology

    Five dangers of oversharing on social media

    Nearly 85% of adults globally want to do more to protect their online…

    Technology

    How to make your online presence more sustainable

    With the threat of climate change growing larger each day, individuals and…

    Uncategorized

    Promotional Products That Boost Visibility and Loyalty

    In a world filled with digital noise, tangible, branded merchandise stands out…

  • Topics

    Topics

    • Agenda
    • Blogs
    • Book Review
    • Business Advice
    • eCommerce
    • SME Update
    Reading: Data Security
    • Events
    • Business Experts
    • Featured
    • Franchise
    • Growing Business
    • Health
    Reading: Data Security
    • Finance
    • Franchise Experts
    • How To
    • Interviews
    • Just for fun
    Reading: Data Security
    • Lifestyle
    • Making money
    • Manufacturing
    • Marketing
    • Money
    • Property
    Reading: Data Security
    • Starting Up
    • Taxation
    • Technology
    • Wellbeing
    • Women in Business
    Reading: Data Security
Reading: Data Security
Connect
Start Your Business MagazineStart Your Business Magazine
Aa
  • Magazine
  • SEO – Backlinks
  • Book: Start Your Business
Search
  • Agenda
  • Book Review
  • Blogs
  • Finance
  • Growing Business
  • How To
  • Interviews
  • Marketing
  • SME Update
  • Starting Up
  • Technology
  • Wellness
  • Contact
Have an existing account? Sign In
Follow US
  • RSS
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact
  • Licensing
  • SEO
Copyright © 2014-2023 Ruby Theme Ltd. All Rights Reserved.

Data Security

Start Your Business
Technology
Share
9 Min Read

Seven security tips for SMEs that won’t break the bank

When you set up your own business, you want to do everything you can to protect it. It’s your baby, after all. With so many threats out there, both on the internet and in the real world, you’ll want to spend every pound you can to wrap it in metaphorical cotton wool and keep it safe. But that isn’t always realistic.

We understand that many SMEs and start-ups don’t have the biggest budgets; we know that every penny counts when you’re trying to grow a business! But we also believe that protecting your business is going to be one of your top priorities. So with that in mind, high-tech security and software specialists, Morphean, has come up with seven security tips both on and offline that aren’t going to break the bank.

1. Protect from internal attacks

Before you start looking at your business from the outside, it’s important for you to make sure you’re protected from the inside out first. Although you may not want to consider the possibility that one of your employees would wish harm on your company, it happens more often than you think. In fact, did you know that the UK High Court saw an increase of 25% in the number of employees stealing data?

Rather than looking at all your employees with mistrust from now on, take some easy steps towards protecting yourself. First of all, conducting background checks on new starters is a standard policy to have, so don’t be afraid to implement it. Second, have the correct policies and procedures in place to ensure that certain systems and pieces of data have limited access. And finally, take a look at how your company handles dismissals. Not everyone is going to be thrilled at the idea of being let go, but being empathetic and sensitive when it does happen can greatly lessen any feelings of anger and resentment.

2. Cyber education

When it comes to staff old and new, it’s important that everyone is educated and trained on how they can do their bit to protect your business. That goes for security both on and offline. And it’s not expensive to do!

You can start by providing training on keeping computers and devices safe. That means how to create secure passwords, how to spot phishing emails and the correct procedures to follow when using own devices or when working from home. If your business is growing, schedule regular sessions so that everyone entering is up to date, and anyone can attend for a refresher course if they need to.

3. Update your systems

We’re all guilty of hitting ‘remind me tomorrow’ when your computer suggests a systems update, but it’s more important than you think, especially if that update is for your anti-virus software. A lot of SMEs and their employees will neglect software updates, often due to having more pressing issues to deal with, but failing to stay up-to-date can actually leave you vulnerable to some of the most severe types of cyber security attacks.

Having anti-virus software in place is fantastic and a real must-have investment for your business. Not only does it keep your device virus free, it also protects your identity when browsing online, the identity of your business, and can help to detect and neutralise fraud attempts when shopping online.

4. Store your data externally

Where does all your company information go? What happens when your computer breaks or in the event of a hack or systems failure? It’s essential that you have a current remote backup of your entire system and data, and the best way to do this is by having a cloud solution. This is stored external of your business on a cloud system where you can access it remotely and add new data as and when you need to.

Undoubtedly this is the most expensive of our tips; good cloud storage from a trustworthy and reputable provider isn’t going to be cheap as chips, but it’s going to be one of the most important investments you’ll ever make. Your data is the lifeblood of your business, so make sure you protect it accordingly.

5. Lock and key

Whether you’re in a building of your own or share your office with other businesses – more on this later – it’s important that you invest in strong and high quality locks. Anti-snap locks and deadbolts are good for exterior doors, and roller shutter doors for warehouses provide that extra layer of security.

Rather than giving a key to all staff members, consider giving keys to just your senior management team, as long as you can guarantee that one will always arrive early to open the office. The fewer people have access then the security risk is lessened. And remember to instill good practices in those who do have keys; perhaps you could have an ‘end of the day’ checklist near the door that reminds people to check windows, blinds and front door locks?

Work on building a strong relationship – this costs nothing! – with your local locksmith as these are the ones you will be asking to come out at short notice should anything go wrong.

6. Take a look outside

If you’re an SME or start-up, then chances are you’re going to be based in a larger building with other businesses. With that in mind, there may already be a number of security measures in place, which is fantastic. But if you’re in a building alone, you’ll want to make sure your premises is protected.

How does your building look from the outside? Lights outside the building at night can be a great deterrent as criminals will like to work in the shadows for fear of being seen, and these are cheap and easy to install. Is it worthwhile investing in a CCTV system? If you’re only talking one or two cameras these don’t have to break the bank. Perhaps consider installing blinds that can be pulled down at night to stop any valuable items being seen from outside. And finally, internal lights on a timer can also be an effective deterrent and aren’t expensive at all.

7. Triple check your vendors

Our final security tip is about keeping the operations of your business safe. Many SMEs will use external providers and vendors for equipment and resources in order to function properly, but it’s important that you do your due diligence.

Make sure you check out all vendors and contractors before entering into a contract with them. Check out their reviews, speak to other businesses who use them (better yet, use recommended vendors) and take a look at their credit report; are bills paid on time? Could they go out of business soon or unexpectedly? How long have they been up and running? If anything raises a red flag, no matter how small, then don’t be afraid to take your business elsewhere.

Sign Up For Daily Newsletter

Be keep up! Get the latest breaking news delivered straight to your inbox.

By signing up, you agree to our Terms of Use and acknowledge the data practices in our Privacy Policy. You may unsubscribe at any time.
Start Your Business September 10, 2019
Share this Article
Twitter LinkedIn Reddit Email Copy Link
  • RSS
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact
  • Licensing
  • SEO

Get the latest from us delivered straight to your inbox

Start Your Business Magazine: The Ultimate Business Start Up Guide provides information advice and guidance for entrepreneurs and new business start ups. Get the latest from us delivered directly to your inbox.

Our website stores cookies on your computer. They allow us to remember you and help personalize your experience with our site..

Read our privacy policy for more information.

Copyright 2023 Gambit Interactive Media Limited – All Rights Reserved.

Manage Cookie Consent
We use technologies like cookies to store and/or access device information. Cookies are used for ads personalisation We do this to improve browsing experience as well as show personalized ads. Consenting to these technologies will allow us to process data such as browsing behavior or unique IDs on this site. Not consenting or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions.
Functional Always active
The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
Preferences
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
Statistics
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
Marketing
The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
Manage options Manage services Manage {vendor_count} vendors Read more about these purposes
View preferences
{title} {title} {title}
Go to mobile version
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Lost your password?