Cybersecurity for Small Business

This short article is the 3rd in a series to help small business owners grow and protect their businesses in the age of cyber threats and digital piracy.  Our 3rd article explains, as an introduction, IoT – The Internet of Things, and is directed not only to small business but to all of us who use the Internet. The Internet is everywhere and the Internet is doing more things for more people than ever before.  One reason for this is the IoT. One formal and technical description of IoT is “The ever-growing network of physical objects that feature an IP address for internet connectivity, and the communication that occurs between these objects and other Internet-enabled devices and systems”. Whew. Did you get that? I like my description better: IoT are all those devices we put on the Internet like household lights, garage door openers, Televisions, home security cameras, our refrigerators and more! Although these things may make ...

This short article is the 2nd in a series to help small business owners grow and protect their businesses in the age of cyber threats and digital piracy.  Quite a few business owners are hesitant to allow 3rd party vendors and customers to digitally transfer money to their business accounts. They are afraid of “bad guys” or hackers obtaining their checking account number and draining it. After all, we business owners are concerned about having money needed for payroll and “bill pay”!! No wonder we don’t sleep like we used to. Well, how about this for a suggestion. It’s not a sleeping pill, but instead, it’s good cyber advice. Instead of just one business checking account with your bank, open a 2nd checking account. Now use this 2nd checking account as your internet facing account. Meaning, use this account to send and receive payments to and from your customers, vendors and business colleagues. But wait; don’t I still have a potential cybe...

As small business owners, we wear many hats in order to grow and protect our businesses.  In today’s Digital Age, we must wear one more; we are the Protector of our business from the threat of Cyber Intrusion, Data Theft, and Financial Embezzlement. But how can we protect our business when big businesses with deep pockets can barely protect themselves?  We read practically every week another well-known large corporation admit they were “hacked” and millions of customer records have become compromised.  Closer to home, we hear how thousands surrender to “digital pirates” via RANSOMware, where your PC and data are held at ransom by data encryption until you pay the bounty, usually $500 or more. Keep your head up!  There are things we can do to protect our businesses, and these proactive defenses won’t break the bank. First, EDUCATE yourself and your employees who have access to business computers.  Passwords should be at least ten characters long, ...