With cyber threats now costing UK businesses £14.7 billion a year and half of small firms experiencing one attack in the last 12 months, the government is calling on organisations to increase their cyber vigilance.

The initiative, launched last month, aims to provide practical ways for companies to protect themselves from common online threats.

The campaign is encouraging businesses to engage with the government’s Cyber Essentials scheme, which sets out practical steps organisations can take to protect themselves from the most common cyber attacks.

SMEs are particularly vulnerable as they often lack the resources to implement the necessary safeguards that help mitigate risk of a cyber attack. This is something we’ve been talking about for some time here at Lifeline IT and we’re keen to ensure that any new initiatives, however well meaning, don’t burden SMEs with additional red tape.

Said Adam: “Whilst we welcome increased publicity and awareness of cyber protection, it’s important not to create more regulations and requirements for business.

“There are many simple and effective strategies that companies can put in place to protect themselves and reduce the risk – it’s often about planning and being prepared, so you avoid having to implement last-minute, rushed solutions, often when it is too late to avoid a problem. And remember to get in touch with us, as we can help you obtain the government’s Cyber Essentials Certification.”

Basic protection steps include:

• Understand your level of risk and how likely you are to be a target
• Have disaster recovery and incident response plans in place and review them regularly
• Ensure you have good backup systems
• Mandatory two-factor authentication
• Cyber training for all employees
• Segment data so staff only have access to what they need

Know which third parties/suppliers have access to your systems and the extent of their permissions

Find out more about the Government’s campaign:

• https://tinyurl.com/mr2huub5

Read our articles on SMEs and cyber crime:

• https://lifelineit.net/sme-cyber-protection/
• https://lifelineit.net/in-the-media-cybercrime-defence-for-small-firms/