10 Helpful Tips to Keep Your Small Business Prepared for the Unexpected

As technology advances, data breaches, theft, and cyber threats become increasingly sophisticated and challenging to detect, significantly impacting individuals, business, and their security.

According to Statista, the average data breach cost in the United States was $9.44 million in 2022, which is expected to increase this year. Unfortunately, even when the nature of the crisis is unexpected, business leaders must prepare for it and ensure their businesses are safe from other unforeseen events.

This article discusses various security measures you may implement to protect your business from unexpected attacks and incidents.

Here are some security measures you can use to protect your business:

1. Equip your team

Preparing your team for unexpected events is the first security measure any business should take. Risk management begins with you, your team, and your level of preparation. 

Ensure your team is adequately equipped with security tools and trained on the newest risks and security practices. This will allow them to be prepared in advance and help you manage any present or prospective future uncertainties that may arise.

2. Develop a business continuity plan

A business continuity plan contains crucial information that a business needs to guarantee protection from threats and ensure it can function effectively in a crisis.

It is a crucial part of the business’s risk management plan and usually prepares it for events and risks like natural disasters, pandemics, and cyberattacks. A comprehensive business continuity plan can decrease and minimize the impact of unexpected events on your business and ensure you can function even in the face of negative happenings.

3. Create a security crisis management plan

A crisis management plan is a documented plan that contains detailed information on how your business will react in the face of a crisis or misfortune. While a crisis management plan and a business continuity plan are similar, the crisis management plan aims to reduce damage and restore business operations as soon as possible.

A crisis management plan is crucial to any business because, with it, your business will be prepared when the unexpected happens. It should include several components that can be implemented for crises, and here are some of the steps:

• Choose a crisis management team
• Identify and access the crisis
• Respond to the threat
• Create a communication channel
• Set up a decision-making system
• Training and testing

4. Implement security policies

A security policy is a business document outlining the rules, expectations, and procedures for maintaining data confidentiality, integrity, and availability.

It is often used with other types of documentation, such as standard operating procedures. These papers work together to help the company meet its security objectives.

The purpose is to strengthen the company’s security posture and equip staff with a clear standard. Creating and maintaining robust security standards may help your firm protect against cyber-attacks.

5. Protect business documents

While most organizations use computers and other online-based technologies to store their business data, the value of offline or physical documents cannot be overlooked. As a result, one needs to protect these documents from unanticipated crises.

It is important to keep these documents safe and secure to always comply with regulations. Another thing to note is to have duplicates of all these vital files. You can store them (duplicates) in various but secure locations to ensure you always have access to your vital business documents.

6. Backup your data

As cyber-attacks continue to grow and become a threat to small businesses and other kinds of businesses, it’s essential to back up your data to protect your business from sudden data loss.

Data loss occurs when data is destroyed or corrupted by a malicious attack or virus and also when a computer system malfunctions. Preventing data loss can be challenging, as you might need to purchase expensive software or other backup and data security protection products and services.

However, businesses can prevent this by limiting access to personal or sensitive data to the necessary employees. Restricting or controlling access can also help prevent loss via hackers or even human error, where an employee may accidentally erase vital data.

7.  Have emergency security funds

An emergency fund is a fund set aside and made available for emergencies only. Setting aside some additional funds for emergencies can save your business from the effects of unexpected events that warrant unplanned expenditures.

An emergency fund is crucial to keep your business flourishing in an unexpected event or misfortune, such as a natural disaster, pandemic, or social unrest. It can also assist you in paying your bills during times when you’re unable to sell your goods and services.

8. Build your business’ cyber resiliency

Regardless of how large or small a business is prone to cyberattacks, cyber resilience is an organization’s capacity to continue operating in the face of cyberattacks. Businesses must plan for and know how to respond and recover from cyberattacks.

Unexpected events, crises, disasters, and difficulties may also be recognized and addressed by a cyber-resilient organization. Early detection and identification enable organizations to limit risk and harm while continuing to operate normally.

9. Improve your customer service

Since the nature of a crisis is unexpected, it is necessary to maintain good customer service. Maintaining good customer service is crucial because it provides effective employee and customer communication.

Effective communication is the best way to improve your customer service. This is because it helps keep your customer updated and can help maintain their confidence and trust in your business. Also, effective communication can help maintain your current customers and draw in new customers.

10. Hire security professionals

Hiring security professionals to help you safeguard your business data is the best option. Security professionals can help design and implement security policies that can help protect your business from sudden misfortune. Security professionals can also provide security measures to protect your data from hackers.

Protect Your Business Today With Copperband Technologies

The measures above can safeguard your company from unexpected or unanticipated incidents. Work with Copperband Technologies to improve your defenses and build resiliency. Contact us to get started!