Most breaches at small businesses are not sophisticated. They start with a reused password, an unpatched laptop or a convincing message asking someone to change bank details.
The essential controls
You do not need enterprise software to be meaningfully secure. These controls cover the overwhelming majority of real-world attacks.
- Unique passwords stored in a password manager
- Two-factor authentication on email, banking and social accounts
- Automatic operating system and browser updates
- Licensed antivirus on every workstation
- Offline or cloud backups tested at least once a quarter
Train the people, not just the machines
Phishing works because it targets attention, not technology. A thirty-minute staff session on spotting fake invoices and payment-change requests is one of the highest-value hours you will spend all year.
“A backup you have never restored is not a backup — it is a hope.”
Have a plan for the bad day
Write down who to call, how to isolate an infected machine and where the backups live. A one-page plan taped near the server beats a perfect policy nobody has read.
Working with Bluepeak
Bluepeak Technologies runs security audits, sets up backups and trains staff. Get in touch for a straightforward assessment of where you stand.
