Essex Bookkeepers Discuss How to Guard the Small Business Against a Cyber Attack

RAINHAM, U.K. - Oct. 31, 2015 - PRLog -- Whilst it seems the larger companies appear to be the key targets for cyber criminals, the fact is, cyber threats extend to companies of all sizes, including the smaller business.

Unfortunately, small businesses tend to lack the resources and policies that are designed to defend against such attacks. Yet because they are increasingly using cloud based services, they still face the same level of risk as larger companies.

So what to do? "You need to focus on minimising your vulnerabilities, and implement policies and initiatives that are rolled out throughout the business, including to any remote workers," say Essex bookkeepers Office Assistants, who suggest starting your campaign against cyber threats with email protection.

"By encrypting emails and other communications, you force potential hackers into a fight against a secondary layer of security. Generally they won’t bother, preferring to move on to an easier target."

Being strict with passwords is the next step. Lynn Watson, managing director of Office Assistants, suggests setting a companywide policy on passwords. "Ensure everyone who uses technology is trained. Introduce them to smart passwords that contain unusual characters and a combination of letters and numbers. NEVER use any passwords that can be associated with a user such as dates of birth and always vary passwords across different platforms. Needless to say, passwords should NEVER be written down. It is important to keep check of passwords so that you are in full control so think about using a management platform such as LastPass, PassPack or 1Password."

Lynn also suggests further strengthening security by using a dual layer password system where possible, so that users have to enter a second set of characters in order to login.

Office Assistants (http://www.officeassistants.org) also recommend making sure that each and every member of staff is trained to identify potential cyber threats such as bogus emails or phishing scams. "Email providers are getting better and better at detecting dubious emails, but some still find their way past the junk folder. Train staff to be on their guard for emails that ask them to click on a link to verify their account details, or enter bank or credit card information. They should be wary of suspicious looking attachments, in particular zipped up files that could contain malicious software. And emails filled with bad spelling are a big warning sign too.

"Make sure these emails are never opened or actioned and that all bogus emails are reported as spam. The domain can also be blacklisted from your email settings. It is well worth considering using an email scanning system such as Avast or AVG."

Finally, they say it is imperative that every device, including PCs, laptops, tablets and mobiles, is installed with firewall and anti-malware and spyware software so that any potential threats can be quarantined and deleted before they turn into a problem.

Office Assistants offers bookkeeping services and much more to clients throughout the south east of England from their base in Rainham, Essex. For more information visit http://www.officeassistants.org.