5 Common Tech Security Problems That May Cripple Your SMB (and How to Avoid Them)

It’s on the news all the time. Big businesses experience tech breaches, and everyone becomes worried. People are changing their bank accounts and businesses are required to offer identity theft protection to nearly every customer. If your SMB experiences a similar security problem, have you thought about how you are going to handle your customers’ needs after the fact? Will you even be able to afford it? Having adequate security from the beginning will make you less susceptible to these attacks, and you can’t afford to leave a target on your back.

1. Using Everyday Personal Technology

Many SMBs are content to make do with what they already have. The problem with this attitude is that usually the technology at their disposal isn’t intended to withstand the kind of attacks that hackers throw at businesses. A personal computer is less likely to be targeted because it doesn’t contain the wealth of information the nefarious person or program is looking for. You may think you’re saving some money until it comes back to bite you.  Always use computers, software, and other technology that are designed for business use. Sooner or later you are going to need the protection and capabilities that they offer you.

2. Improperly Trained Employees

You may have put all the proper safeguards in place, but they’re absolutely useless if your employees are unfamiliar with them. Some security issues are common sense, but others may not be apparent. If you switch or upgrade systems, do your employees understand how the current process differs from the previous one? Always train your employees on security matters. How to spot threats, what to report, and how to interact with antivirus software. Empowering them will extend your efforts.

3. Forgetting Phone Security

Phones seem innocuous enough. Everyone has a smartphone, and many people work through these platforms. If your SMB uses cloud computing, your employees’ smartphones are probably a crucial tool in keeping things going. What happens if your employee loses a company phone on a business trip? Make sure all phones are adequately protected by passwords and tethered to a stationary computer. Only use phones that can be remotely wiped in the event that a lost phone cannot be recovered.

4. Making Poor Social Media Decisions

Social media is invaluable for promotion. Maintaining a presence on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram can take your customer interaction to a whole new level. Doing so is a wise decision, as long as you have a clear social media policy in place. Who is responsible for posting to these accounts, and what information are they allowed to share? Oversharing, or accidentally posting personal information for the whole world to see can both result in some big security blunders. Always have a clear social media strategy and approve potential posts ahead of time.

5. Neglecting a Disaster Plan

You have excellent security so what is there to worry about? In truth, there’s a lot. Just as technology rapidly changes, so do hackers. They won’t give up. They’ll stay on top of things to continue to get the information that they need. Though it isn’t likely someone will infiltrate a good security system, the possibility always exists. You need to keep backups of your information, and have an outline of how you will proceed in the event that you need to recover from a disaster. It’s better to have one and not need one than need one and not have one.

Every decision that you make relating to the security of your business needs to involve constant innovation. There’s no telling whether or not you can outsmart hackers, so the best course of action is to stay one step ahead of them. Talk to your IT support team about what you can do to continuously improve the level of security within your SMB.

Marleen Anderson is a blogger and an employee at Saxons, a provider of IT support services in Australia. When not in the office, she enjoys polishing her photography skills and taking long strolls on nearby beaches.