THIS YEAR the Office of Cyber Security and Information Assurance (Oscia) projected that cybercrime alone will cost Scottish businesses and consumers well in excess of £31 billion. In an attempt to address cybercrime and to safeguard economic well-being across the country, the first e-crime Scotland Summit will be held next week on Tuesday.
As larger businesses find the finances to increasingly step up their game to identify and respond to the threat of cyber crime, small to medium sized enterprises are at risk of falling behind, which in turn puts them and their customers at greater exposure to e-crime. Many of these businesses may be put off by the cost, time, and specialist expertise needed to ensure good IT and network security. But the reality is, as next week’s event will show, there are easy steps to protect against e-crime.
Protecting your business computers from e-crime can help you save money
Five Top Tips on Cyber Protection:
1. Make sure you have up-to-date anti-virus and anti-spyware software active on both your work and home computer systems. It is also important to remember that each separate component on a network must be protected.
2. Make sure you have a comprehensive IT policy which ensures all employees know what counts as acceptable business use of email and internet systems. Also make sure you have login access at work, and even logical access controls.
3. Do not download or click on links from unknown senders. This is a fundamental way in which security is breached by viruses.
4. Be careful when using a smart-phone. Mobile devices must also be protected with anti-virus and anti-spyware software; they should be treated like computers.
5. When it comes to protecting yourself from cyber and e-crime ask the specialists. This does not have to incur huge costs, or take up large amounts of time, but it will make sure you are properly protecting your business interests.
