Small businesses face a list of obstacles daily and are often forced to tackle them with limited budgets and limited resources. Some organizations operate with little room for attacking expansion or new problems as they focus on surviving day-to-day to stay afloat.
Without strategically planning out what success looks like and defining a growth mindset, small businesses can get caught in a never-ending loop of survival.
Outsourcing non-core business tasks is an option many small business owners choose. Keeping focus on growing the core business allows small business owners to maximize their potential and expand faster, allowing third-party resources to take care of the peripheral and tangential items still deemed to be integral to company success.
One example of a non-core segment small businesses need assistance on is typically information technology (IT). Building out the technical systems and digital capacity to build a foundation for an e-commerce store or new manufacturing company delivering streamlined solutions takes skilled talent.
Cybersecurity is one component of any solid IT infrastructure. The correct approach to cybersecurity and building a strong overall security posture includes both defensive systems to detect and deflect potential attacks as well as an offensive strategy to keep staff aware of potential pitfalls they may see as part of the “human firewall.”
You’ve likely heard the saying: “The best defense is a good offense.” It’s cliche, but cliches are cliches because they’re often true. Even the best defensive systems will fail and that’s when your small business could be the most exposed and vulnerable. It’s a dangerous reality with the statistics to prove it.
Since 2021, the rise of ransomware has skyrocketed. The United States Homeland Security Secretary told ABC News the troubling numbers: hundreds of percent increases year-after-year in the number of ransomware attacks with more than 50 percent targeting small businesses.
According to a recent Microsoft-commissioned Forrester Research report, 61 percent of small businesses suffering a cyberattack were unable to operate following the event.
The fact that 60 percent of small businesses are unable to handle a cyberattack in-house due to a lack of resources and staff only compounds and exacerbates the dilemma facing small business owners today.
43 percent of all cyberattacks target small businesses and 60 percent of small businesses face closing their doors within just six months of a cyberattack leading to a breach.
So what should small business owners look for when purchasing solutions or looking for partners and vendors to handle their cybersecurity needs?
Scalability is key. Starting there is crucial. As your small business grows, you need a solution capable of growing with you. Switching systems and solutions and integrating a new provider can be a painful process and result in downtime.
Ease of use follows close behind. If you don’t have a simple system that’s intuitive and flexible enough to run automated while allowing for manual administration to configure for any unique needs, you could end up being just as vulnerable as you were without the system.
In our Internet of Things, digital landscape, you’ll want a solution that integrates with your existing workflows and allows for data to flow securely between platforms.
Finally, every small business wants the most cost-effective option available. Getting the right solution for the best price is icing on the cake for small business owners.
Finding a provider who can check all the boxes for your small business is paramount in freeing up your staff to focus on your core business and expanding a growth mindset.
With PhishingBox, you can be up and running within a matter of days. Through powerful phishing simulation and phishing training, you can keep your staff (human firewall) at the ready to spot and report suspicious activity and requests that threaten your small business daily.
With our email training campaign type, you can deploy one of our security tips enhanced to help the user learn without worrying about having to click any links that may seem like an additional phishing test.
Combining a robust phishing simulation platform with comprehensive cybersecurity awareness training courses and modules designed for anyone will mitigate your exposure and vulnerability to phishing attacks, resulting in safer small business capable of attacking opportunity.
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