Protecting Crucial Business Information: Expert Advice from Cisco’s Áine Rogers

There are a few reasons why some small and medium-sized business (SMB) owners may not prioritize cybersecurity. First, some may feel that their business is too small to be targeted by hackers, while others may find the idea of investing in cybersecurity technology too daunting or expensive. However, a survey conducted by the British Chamber of Commerce last year found that one in 10 SMBs had experienced a cyber-attack within the past year, while only one in five had implemented cybersecurity measures.

It’s important to consider the potential impact of a cybersecurity breach on both your business and your customers. Even SMBs handle sensitive information such as email addresses and credit card details, which in the wrong hands can ruin someone’s life and cause severe stress, costing them time and money. Investing in strong cybersecurity technology can protect your business’s reputation and your customer’s sensitive data.

Hackers can exploit a company’s trust in a variety of ways, such as an employee clicking on an untrustworthy link or sharing sensitive information with a hacker posing as someone else. When you’re online, whether at work or home, two things should be your focus: protecting your data connection and your credentials.

There are a few quick tips businesses can implement to protect vital information. First, it’s important to protect your DNS server, which maps an IP address with a readable name. Cybersecurity tools such as Cisco’s Umbrella provide DNS-layer security to block malicious domains at the source. Second, businesses should protect against credential theft with multifactor authentication (MFA), such as Duo, which sends an autogenerated password to your phone or inbox when you log in to a platform.

Additionally, employees should vary their passwords across all platforms to avoid reusing them. Providing a good password management tool can help store hundreds of passwords safely and can be accessible from any device. Lastly, managing your company’s social media is essential, as employees may unwittingly link their personal accounts to business applications or post personal information that hackers can use to gain their trust. Cybersecurity solutions such as Cisco’s Umbrella use a Cloud Access Services Broker (CASB) to manage and monitor all connections to your cloud service, blocking any unwanted connections from occurring.

For SMBs looking for more ways to enhance their cybersecurity, our team can provide a host of solutions and IT expertise to help optimize technology solutions, protect data, and enhance overall security.