Whether you use online business accounting software or a PC-based version, ensuring your computer systems are secure and safe is paramount to protecting your equipment and information.
With data breaches and information about viruses regularly making headlines, it's no wonder than many small and medium enterprise (SME) owners are nervous about cybersecurity. Putting the right firewalls and antivirus software in place is important - as is ensuring you choose a dependable vendor that has leveraged safe practices. However, there's another critical piece to the puzzle: people.
To keep your resources protected, you need to make sure your employees understand the potential security risks and are well-informed on best practices for using technology.
Malcolm Pattison, an information security expert at the University of Adelaide, emphasised the need to give more attention to the human element in cybersecurity. He explained that most research on the topic has focused on equipment and policies, but human behaviour is just as influential in keeping documents and data safe.
"While high-quality hardware and software plays a critical role in the security of an organisation, there is now a growing body of research that suggests the behaviours of computer users can be one of the biggest threats to an organisation's information security," he said.
"For example, the best password processed by the most sophisticated software, using the latest in computer facilities becomes useless when the password is written on a sticky note and stuck on a monitor for easy access."
That's why it's a good idea to come up with a company policy for passwords, account access, personal device usage and public Wi-Fi protocol, particularly if your organisation grows and you have multiple people using your computers and software accounts.
In addition, you might want to cover cybersecurity strategies when you train new employees or teach workers to use new electronic tools, such as small business software.