Do you have a small and medium size business SMB team security protocol? Security should be everyone’s number one business priority.
If you have no SMB team security policy – including BYOD (bring your own device) – chances are your employees are tweeting, texting and online shopping from the workplace. Your employees are huge security risks, especially when you haven’t onboarded them appropriately.
Especially when you haven’t upgraded your technology platforms.
Ryan Morris discussed “who owns responsibility for your company’s security?” at the Penton® Channel Directions LIVE meeting end of September. Morris pointed out that: “The more you put technology into the hands of employees, the greater the risk.”
You figure you have your SMB team security bases covered. Your security protocol is the responsibility of the “web guy.” Oh, and the person to whom you’ve handed over social media responsibilities.
These folks aren’t security experts. They are online social media vendors. You wouldn’t want your heart surgery conducted by an allergist would you? Same deal when it comes to internet security.
Ask your vendors who they work with for security issues. Chances are they will tell you that the big companies they outsource their internet services to are responsible for maintaining the integrity of your SBM team security.
That’s a lot of outsourced baton passing for your vendors to keep track of. You are not their only customer either.
As CEO, you are head of strategy and implementation for your SMB team security protocol. You have more data to protect than Spam. Your business assets require more than your current antivirus and malware programs that came with the software on your new computers. (You have upgraded your computer systems haven’t you?)
Here are three tips to get your SMB team security protocol going in the right direction. Why wait until you have a data breach?
Tip 1 – Identify a small business oriented MSSP. MSSP’s are specialists in internet security protocols.
An MSSP (managed security service provider) is an Internet service provider (ISP) that provides an organization with some amount of network security management, which may include virus blocking, spam blocking, intrusion detection, firewalls, and virtual private network (VPN) management.
Tip 2 – Read up on Security so that when you hire an MSSP, you are familiar with what they do and the types of issues they are able to address. This article is a great place to start. Hand MSSPs the Security Keys, and Focus on the Business at Hand .
Tip 3 – Conduct this rudimentary SMB team security audit to determine how sophisticated your current platforms need to be. Your MSSP will ask you these questions.
- Who are your customers?
- Any government contracts?
- Are these contracts housed in the cloud or on a secure FTP site?
- Any of your customers have intellectual property?
- How many NDAs have you signed in the past year?
- Are any of your employees tweeting and texting from the workplace?
- When was the last time you upgraded each of your systems and platforms?
You are responsible for initiating, overseeing, understanding and taking responsibility for a SMB team security protocol addressing internet security. If your company data is breached, who are your customers going to point their fingers (and their attorneys) at?
Hire an MSSP to help you. However, do not think you are passing the baton –and liability -to your internet vendors.
SMB team security protocols are everyone’s responsibility. Create your Security Protocol Playbook. Remain involved before, during and after implementation.
Babette Ten Haken started out her career as a scientist. Early on, she was asked to bring clarity to the chaos of stalemated conversations between engineers, sales, IT, quality, legal and marketing folks. She focuses on building collaborative, innovative and profitable teams who are focused on excellence in the hand-off of strategy for execution. Her Playbook on leadership and business strategies, including tools, Do YOU Mean Business? is available on Amazon.com.
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