When you own a small business, the sources of stress you encounter may never cease. There are tons of ways that your private documents could be compromised, your facilities broken into and ransacked, or even everyday office supplies pilfered by untrustworthy employees. That means that protecting your small business should be one of your top 5 priorities as a small business owner to Protect Your Small Business.
In this post, we’ll walk you through 5 ways that you can protect your small business from threats large and small. Don’t let your small business fall prey to hackers, scammers, and thieves. Follow these tips for a safer tomorrow.
Table of Contents
Trust your workforce
Your workforce is the lifeblood of your company, and if you can’t trust them, then you’ve got a serious problem on your hands. Don’t put yourself in a position where you can’t even trust the people working for you; take precautions ahead of time to only bring on people who you know will keep your company safe.
How can you make sure you only hire trustworthy applicants? There are a few simple steps:
Trust your connections. Hiring someone on a trusted colleague’s word is always a safer bet than someone you’ve found on the internet through a public job advertisement.
Conduct in-person interviews. If someone rubs you the wrong way, looks like they’ve got something to hide, or seems otherwise suspicious, it may be worth carrying on your search elsewhere.
Be sure to execute background checks. Not sure where to get a background check? Plenty of services are available and affordable online, so you have no excuse when it comes to carefully vetting your potential employees.
Of course, even the most trustworthy employees don’t ensure that you won’t fall prey to threats from outside the company.
Invest in cybersecurity
One of the leading causes of intellectual property damage and loss in the 21st century has been cybersecurity breaches conducted by hackers. These skilled cyber-charlatans can find vulnerabilities in your passwords, databases, and computers, gaining entry and robbing you blind before you even know what’s happening.
Investing in cybersecurity is an indispensable business expense for the 21st century. Here are a few of the cybersecurity products you should invest in as a small business owner:
Basic antivirus software for all your work computers, phones, and tablets. If your business handles high-value or high-security information, it’s probably worth it to invest in more expensive, all-inclusive packages.
Training for employees. Most cybersecurity breaches don’t come as a result of a sophisticated hacker inserting ingenious malware into your computers. They are simply because an employee used their own name as their password. Train them to be savvier than that.
White-hat hackers. You can also pay hackers working for the good guys to breach your system for you and expose where there are vulnerabilities, then patch them up. This is ideal for companies that handle sensitive client data regularly.
Once cyberspace has been successfully guarded from hackers, it’s time to think about the real world again.
Invest in building security to Protect Your Small Business
Even in our advanced, computerized world, there are still many thieves who would rather do things the old-fashioned way. That means your business needs physical security systems in addition to cybersecurity protocols. Think through whether your business could benefit from any of these security solutions:
Business alarm systems that monitor entryways and immediately phone the police if there’s a break-in.
Cameras that send a live feed to any device connected to them.
High quality locks. Most thieves can break through ordinary locks; invest in high-quality locks that ordinary burglars can’t get through.
Of course, all the security in the world can’t stop a fire, a flood, an earthquake or other natural disaster.
Always insure your assets
Accidents happen, natural disasters happen, and even the most ingenious security systems can occasionally be breached. If that happens to your small business, you’ll want small business insurance. Make sure to find a policy that suits your business needs. It should have affordable monthly premiums, and be inclusive of many different forms of disaster. Be on the lookout for scam insurance companies that only cover damage in specific and rare cases, or that rule out entire classes of disaster like floods.
With the right protection measures, your small business is sure to thrive.
Hello, I am a professional writer, with more than 10 years of writing experience. I love to write on the science related subjects and share knowledge with my readers. I hope all my reader friends will enjoy my work.
