Cybersecurity is front and center of the daily news. Many small businesses approach cybersecurity in one of two ways, they think they have it lockdown, or they are doing nothing and bury their heads in the sand.
Many times I will hear an office manager or owner tell me how security there IT systems are as we walk through the building. During our walkthrough, their passwords on a post-it note, client files on the desk with personal data front and center, computer unlocked login into client files, server room’s doors unlocked, or no door at all. These seem like small things, but small things lead to big problems. In some cases, you may not be the target. Your company may have access to a bigger company like the Target and Home Depot breach.
Why is this important? More and more clients are becoming aware of cybersecurity and what businesses should be doing to protect their information. For example, you are meeting with your business banker and they have files on their desk and just finishing with another client file with their information on their computer screen. They invite you to sit down and offer you coffee or water and leave the room. They have just said to you that data protection and security is not a concern of theirs. What else are they not doing to protect your information? Now, what is your perception of the company you are doing business with? Would you refer them to a friend or family member? Would you continue to do business with them?
Just saying you are secure does not make it so. The only difference between the two is one will be shocked there was a problem. Cybersecurity requires planning, monitoring, and responsiveness to issues as they arise.