According to research, one in five SMBS doesn’t use endpoint security protections.
It’s crucial to have a proper security strategy in place, particularly if you’re a small business. Security breaches could put you out of business, so it’s essential to know which security considerations can protect you.
If you are just starting and forming your startup, you have many considerations when coming up with ideas for your business. This helpful guide is designed to help you plan your security strategy quickly, so you can get to start your business plan.
Keep reading for more information on the top four security considerations that could protect your small business and keep it up and running.
4 security considerations for SMBs
When forming a security strategy, your business needs to research tips for both physical and digital security, as companies house both digital and physical assets that need coverage. This section will cover the ways you can physically secure your building from intruders and how you can use a converged physical and digital security strategy to provide air-tight protection for your business.
1. Installing access control
Access control is the cornerstone of providing physical security for your building. Investing in this technology can allow you to restrict unauthorized access both externally and internally.
Wireless door lock entry systems can be fitted with a higher frequency, enabling your employees to open doors via BlueTooth without having to withdraw their devices from their pockets. Having a keyless system with mobile credentialing also reduces the amount of contact your employees have with entries, reducing their risk of contracting coronavirus from common touchpoints in the building.
If you wish to install security cameras alongside restricting access, you can integrate both technologies to streamline your security functions. You can view video feed information alongside access logs for a more user-friendly security experience by incorporating both features. When an attempted incident of unauthorized entry occurs, you will be able to resolve the issue more quickly without gathering information from different sources and correlating it.
2. Converging physical and digital security strategies
We often conceive physical and digital security as separate entities, and IT teams that handle digital security are usually housed separately from physical security teams. However, as companies find it more difficult to distinguish between digital and physical assets with newer technologies, they are becoming linked.
This means that you need to establish a firm line of communication between your IT staff and your security team so that you can adjust your security strategy to meet both physical and digital security needs.
By merging both teams, you should be able to improve the efficiency of your overall security, and you will be able to streamline your team to reduce the costs of your security. Your converged security teams will be more effective with better communication and a more sustainable approach to security.
3. Leveraging integrated data for a proactive security strategy
Making sense of integrated data can help your security team to manage daily activities and anticipate potential security challenges more effectively. By combining two separate security fronts and leveraging the integrated data, your team will provide a more proactive security strategy to understand your vulnerabilities and implement new policies and procedures.
4. Protecting your cloud-based physical security system
Since many access systems are cloud-based to facilitate the use of remote unlocking and visitor management functions, they aren’t impervious to the same risks as other data stored on the cloud.
This means that to protect your physical security system, you must also implement cyber coverage that ensures only you and authorized users can use the remote unlocking features and access security information.
By implementing cyber security software to protect your physical security system, you will create an air-tight security system, meaning that you will have complete control of access to your building and certain rooms inside your building.
Prioritizing staff training
Human error is one of the leading causes of misappropriated information within businesses. This is why you must provide staff training to know which procedures to follow when handling data and this includes training on:
- The proper disposal of documents containing sensitive information should be rendered unreadable before disposing of them, and this can be done using shredders in your office.
- Your staff should know how to safely and securely store documents the proper storage of documents. This means not leaving printer output trays unattended or leaving documents in break rooms.
- Cybersecurity training – your staff, should receive training to keep their software up-to-date and avoid falling victim to deceptive strategies and attempts to acquire sensitive information.
Summary
When it comes to planning the security strategy for your SMB, you should ensure that you protect your company on both physical and digital fronts. Your system should also include managing the potential for human error causing unauthorized access to sensitive information. By taking these steps, you will be ensuring that your security strategy provides adequate protection for your business and that a security breach will not put you out of business down the line.
