While large scale cyber attacks have not garnered national headlines in a while, cyber-theft should remain something that businesses worry about. This is because Fortune 500 companies and federal agencies are not the only entities hackers will try to attack. In fact, businesses of all sizes across different industries are susceptible of being pilfered. So small businesses must be just as vigilant in protecting sensitive information.
From a pure business perspective, startup companies have to respond quickly to cyber attacks in order to compete for business and to establish trust with their clients. The old preparation adage “if you prepare for the worst, you can expect the best” comes into play.
This post will highlight a few options for small businesses to follow.
Create a comprehensive response plan – Regular security updates to protect to protect sensitive information may not be enough. Instead, companies should have a comprehensive plan for responding to cyber attacks and security breaches.
Continually monitor threats – Those familiar with cyber threats know that they continually evolve over time. But small business owners cannot always devote the time necessary to be experts. Having a dedicated team (or contracting with one) is essential to protecting the integrity of your systems.
Develop plans to protect sensitive information – In the same vein as protecting information from outside threats, businesses must also have protocols to identify and protect trade secrets and other forms of sensitive information.
The preceding is not legal advice. If you have questions about the best ways to protect protecting sensitive data, an experienced attorney can help.