Skip to main content
  • Claims Center
  • Contact Us
  • Español
  • Brokers & Agents
Hiscox Insurance
Menu Toggle
  • Home
  • Small Business Insurance Toggle Menu Toggle Menu
  • Why Hiscox Toggle Menu Toggle Menu
  • Resources Toggle Menu Toggle Menu
  • Policy Management Toggle Menu Toggle Menu
  • Claims Center
  • Contact Us
  • Español
  • Brokers & Agents
  • About
  • Get a Quote Get a Quote
  • About
  • Get a Quote Get a Quote
  • Blog Home
    Start Your Business
    Grow Your Business
    Protect Your Business
    Celebrate Courage
    Search

    Twenty-Four Seven

    Sign up to get the latest small business news delivered right to your inbox.
    Close Close
    Protect Your Business
    June 3, 2014
    keyboard with a red risk button replacing the enter key

    Cyber Security: Is Your Small Business Protected?

    Cyber | Thought-leadership
    By: Hiscox Blog

    Share Image

    Embed Image

    Copy

    Share Article:

    Make a commitment today to create a cyber security plan for your small business.

    Internet security breaches are becoming more insidious and more powerful, as evidenced by the recent Heartbleed

    events.  While we can hope that white hat computer security will eventually determine how to permanently thwart hackers, it’s not going to happen any time soon – which means it’s becoming more and more important for small businesses to ensure their systems are secure. Makes sense, right?  But how do you do that?  As an entrepreneur working on your own or the owner of a small business with a few employees, your time is completely accounted for; there’s no time for a six-week immersive IT security course in your agenda!

    Short of hiring an IT consultant or in-house tech support well-versed in Internet security, you can take one or more of these relatively simple actions to greatly improve the safety of your business’s data and files:

    Create cyber security rules

    If there are no procedures for handling and protecting sensitive data then it’s almost guaranteed something will go wrong.  This is perhaps even truer if you have employees, without common guidelines everyone will handle it their own way.  Make sure you have policies for managing personally identifiable information, financial details and other information you don’t want leaving the company. The policies clearly detail the penalties for not following cyber security policies. With employees planning summer vacations, it’s even more important to make sure you have a cyber security plan for your small business.

    Protect your hardware

    Not all cyber security threats aim to acquire data, some just want to mess up your hardware.  With a solid security program installed on all of your small business’s Internet-enabled equipment you’ll be protected against viruses, spyware, malware and other malicious code.  And be sure to download and install software updates as they become available, these often have built-in security features.

    Keep physical access on lockdown

    Not all cyber-security threats are virtual or behind-the-scenes. If your computers aren’t password-protected it’s possible someone could visit an unsafe site and pick up a virus or even intentionally infect the machine – and possibly your network.  Laptops and tablets are portable and easy targets for theft, so make sure they’re secured when not in use.

    Secure the Wi-Fi

    Wi-Fi is ubiquitous, which makes it easy to get online – and easy to get into security trouble.  Make sure the wireless network in your home and business are secured with complicated passwords.  You can also “hide” your network by configuring your wireless access point or router to not broadcast the network name (Service Set Identifier or SSID).  And be sure to change the administrative password that came pre-set on any of your wirelessly-enabled equipment. Completing and staying on top of the steps above will go a long way toward improving your cyber-security.  You can take it a step further with the FCC’s Small Biz Cyber Planner, which walks you through creating a cyber-security plan that’s configured for your business.  Getting these suggestions done will take some effort, but the time they’ll save by heading off future IT security issues is definitely worth it. If you don’t think the cyber security of your small business is important, consider how a large company such as Target is still feeling the pain from their data breach from six-months ago. Commit today to creating a cyber security plan for your small business.


    Protect Your Business

    Protect the business you’ve worked so hard to build. Get a fast, free quote and your business could be covered today.

    Get a Quote
    Get a Quote
    Subscribe to our newsletter

    Related Articles

    4 Min Read
    Business continuity planning is essential for small businesses, learn the steps to create your plan

    Plan for the unexpected. How to make business continuity plans

    Management | Start up

    Don’t let your business become victim to obstacles beyond your control; learn how to create a business continuity plan – it’s essential to your business’ survival.

    Read More

    4 Min Read
    the impact the war in Ukraine has on small businesses

    The war in Ukraine – is there a risk to your business?

    Cyber | Management

    The war in Ukraine could pose a cyber risk to your small business that you haven’t considered. Read how you could be affected. 

    Read More

     
    Learn more about cloud storage and get tips on choosing the right provider

    Best cloud storage for small businesses

    Technology | Tools & Templates

    Most everything is up in the cloud these days, and moving your business data to the cloud is a logical and practical move. Learn more about cloud storage and get tips on choosing the right provider.

    Read More


    We’re here to help.
    We provide tailored insurance for the specific risks you face, so you can take the right risks to grow your business.
    Get a Quote
    Get a Quote

    Footer menu 1

    • What We Cover
      • Business Insurance
      • General Liability Insurance
      • Professional Liability Insurance
      • Errors and Omissions
      • Cyber Security Insurance
      • Workers Compensation
      • Other Coverage
    • Who We Cover
      • Small Business Owners
      • LLC
      • Sole Proprietors
      • Entrepreneurs
      • Side Hustle
      • Contractors
      • Home Businesses
    • For Our Customers
      • Refer a Friend Program
      • Covid-19 Response
      • Claims Center
    • For Business Owners
      • Save with our Partners
    • About Hiscox
      • About Us
      • Careers
      • Contact Us
      • Hiscox Corporate
      • Investors
      • Foundation
      • Newsroom
      • We Stand Together
      • Affiliate Partner Program

    Footer menu 2

    • Accessibility
    • Site Map
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms of Use
    • Legal Notices
    • Español

    Feefo Reviews: Hiscox rated 4.8/5 with 1,926 reviews between January 1, 2021 - January 1, 2022

    © 2022 Hiscox Inc. All rights reserved. Underwritten by Hiscox Insurance Company Inc., 30 N. LaSalle St., Suite 1760, Chicago, IL 60602. As of December 31, 2021, HICI had admitted assets of $1,250,758,353 and policyholders surplus of $332,792,666. Total liabilities were $917,965,687 (inclusive of $433,752,764 of loss reserves) and paid-up capital stock was $4,242,000.

    icon-facebook
    icon-youtube
    icon-twitter
    icon-linkedin