As cyber threats evolve, small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) have become prime targets. While large enterprises might have robust security teams and budgets, SMBs often face the same level of risk without the same resources. That’s why it’s more important than ever to build strong cybersecurity foundations.
In our recent webinar, Cybersecurity Essentials for SMBs, we shared practical strategies that any business can adopt, regardless of size, to protect themselves. Here’s a summary of the key points we covered, along with how iON Guardian can serve as your first line of defense.
Why SMBs Are a Target
Cybercriminals increasingly view SMBs as low-hanging fruit. Many assume SMBs lack the advanced security measures of larger corporations, making them easier to exploit. Additionally, attacks on smaller businesses often don’t get as much media attention, so hackers operate under the radar, continuing to target similar businesses without fear of public backlash.
Common Threats to SMBs
During the webinar, we delved into some of the most common threats SMBs face today, including:
- Phishing attacks: Fraudulent emails or messages that trick employees into sharing sensitive information or downloading malware.
- Ransomware: Malicious software that locks businesses out of their systems until a ransom is paid.
- Insider threats: Employees or contractors who either accidentally or deliberately cause data breaches.
- Business Email Compromise (BEC): Fraudulent requests for money transfers or sensitive information, often disguised as legitimate communications from senior executives. 2 factor authentication does not offer the protection that many think it does!
These threats can cause significant financial damage and erode trust with customers and partners. Advances in AI technology (read up on FraudGPT to know more) available to cybercriminals makes these threats much more difficult to identify and respond to.
Building Strong Cybersecurity Foundations
A key takeaway from the session was that prevention is the most cost-effective cybersecurity measure, combined with establishing a simple alerting system to reduce reaction time if an incident does occur. Building the right defenses doesn’t need to be complex or expensive. Here are three foundational steps every SMB should take:
- Educate Employees: Your team is often the first line of defense. Regularly train employees on how to recognize phishing emails, create strong passwords, and avoid suspicious links or downloads.
- Implement strong password policies and Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA): Adding another layer of protection can significantly reduce the risk of unauthorized access to your systems. MFA requires users to verify their identity in two or more ways, such as through a password and a text message code.
- Keep Software Up to Date: Regular updates and patch management are crucial for closing security gaps that could be exploited by hackers.
- Restrict administrative access: abuse of admin privileges can make it easy for attackers with even a basic skill level to achieve a critical compromise with minimal effort.
- Perform regular backups: Where possible, leverage security applications that allow for rollback capabilities.
- Invest in tools that work with your cloud environment: SMBs are almost all using one of two cloud environments for users, M365 or Google Workspace. Use tools that leverage the security tools already in those platforms and add threat analytics and incident management to track the events that will occur.
How iON Guardian Protects SMBs
We know that even with these measures in place, SMBs need comprehensive protection to address evolving threats. That’s where iON Guardian comes in. Our platform provides:
- Single Pane of glass for cybersecurity: No need to look at many security consoles for various security issues and incidents, it’s all in one place.
- Continuous Threat Monitoring: Real-time alerts that notify you of potential threats as they emerge, allowing you to take immediate action.
- Endpoint Protection: Gather security posture and advanced telemetry on your endpoints and integrate with Microsoft Defender to fully integrate with EDM.
- Advanced Phishing Protection: Our AI-driven filters prevent phishing emails from reaching your inbox, significantly reducing the risk of employee error.
- Darkweb reporting – find out if compromised credential from your environment are available on darkweb forums, and proactively disable them.
Why iON Guardian?
The strength of iON Guardian lies in its simplicity and effectiveness. We understand that SMBs often lack dedicated cybersecurity teams, so we’ve designed our solution to be user-friendly and cost-effective. With iON Guardian, you’re not just getting a product—you’re getting a partnership in security. We’re here to support you every step of the way, with continuous monitoring, expert guidance, and customizable solutions to fit your unique business needs.
Get enterprise cybersecurity protection without the cost, headcount or expertise to run it. iON Guardian offers 9 defense and remediation components that will protect organizations from cybercrime with a single reporting console, that prioritizes what you need to know about your security posture and what’s happening in real time. This makes it easier to do business with others by meeting compliance & regulatory requirements and helping with lowering cybersecurity insurance. Let us protect your business while you focus on growth and your organization’s long-term goals.
It’s simple to manage with AI assistance embedded and takes less than 30 minutes to integrate.
Take the Next Step in Cybersecurity
Protecting your business from cyber threats doesn’t have to be overwhelming. By focusing on these cybersecurity essentials and partnering with a reliable provider like iON Guardian, you can confidently secure your business and focus on growth.
Ready to enhance your cybersecurity posture? Contact us today to learn how iON Guardian can keep your business safe from evolving cyber threats.
Author: Mike Ryan, Director of Network and Cybersecurity Solutions
