No business can ever consider itself 100% safe from the potentially devastating effects of a computer software virus, the theft of sensitive data, or a denial of service (DoS) attack. The problems faced by retail giant Target during the last holiday season point out that even the biggest, seemingly best-prepared businesses can be vulnerable.
Your small business may not represent a big-game trophy to the internet bad guys – but that’s no reason to ignore the measures you ought to take to minimize the risk to your data, and hence to your livelihood. The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) offers a short online course that will help you organize your thinking about cybersecurity, and get you started on a plan of action.
Cybersecurity for Small Businesses is a brief, general overview of the threats small business owners must guard against to protect the online presence and activities of their companies. At about thirty minutes, the course is perfect for viewing at lunchtime at your desk, or whenever time allows. You’ll learn what cybersecurity is; why it’s important to your business; how to assess the risks; and the steps you can take to protect your business.
(TIP: When you click “Begin Course”, you’ll be asked to provide demographic information. Whether or not you choose to fill out this form, clicking “Submit” will take you to the beginning of the course.)
The SBA website offers small business owners dozens more courses like this one, as well as numerous articles on a broad variety of topics selected to help American businesses succeed. Find out more about how the SBA website can benefit you.
