These days, your business may be at greater risk of a cybersecurity threat than a physical one. That's why IT security is so important, regardless of your business's size or what you offer customers. To start protecting your business from hackers and other online threats, follow these tips.

Do:
Use strong passwords.

The best passwords have at least ten characters, upper and lower case letters, numbers, and special symbols, such as exclamation points. Additionally, make sure your passwords are unique from website to website, and that they're changed every three to six months.

Be aware of common email scams.

Email scams can be very sophisticated. For example, some scam artists create email addresses that are so close to the originals that differences aren't noticeable at first. Warn staff against opening attachments that appear suspicious or arrive unsolicited. Also, make sure antivirus programs scan all attachments before opening.

Don’t:

Neglect software updates.

Antivirus software must be updated to offer the greatest level of protection. New viruses and threats emerge every day, and software updates often include fixes for new vulnerabilities. When you're lax on updates, you're leaving your business's computer network at risk.

Be lax about creating data backups.

Even the tightest IT security measures may be breached. If a breach is serious enough, it could prevent you from accessing essential data. Backing up this information ensures you retain access, even when your computer network is down. Combining cloud storage with backups to external hard drives is the best option since it includes double protection.