Cybersecurity: Protecting Your SME is Not an Option
"We're too small to be a target" is the most dangerous phrase a manager can utter. SMEs account for 70% of cyberattack victims, precisely because they think they are safe. Discover 3 essential measures to secure your assets and have peace of mind.
Hackers are not lone artisans; they are industries that automate their attacks. They don't target "one" company; they scan thousands of systems for the slightest vulnerability. Your SME is a prime target because it's often less defended than a large corporation. The good news? A few basic best practices can eliminate 99% of common risks.
Measure #1: The Human Firewall – Train Your Teams
The biggest security risk to your business is not technological; it's human. Over 90% of successful cyberattacks start with a human error, most often a phishing email. Training your employees to recognize a suspicious email is not an expense; it's the best security investment you can make.
A good security policy includes:
- Regular phishing awareness sessions.
- A policy for strong (long, unique) passwords.
- Clear rules on the use of USB drives and software downloads.
Measure #2: Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) – The Digital Vault Door
Imagine a hacker has managed to steal your email password. If that's all they have, they can't do anything. This is the principle of MFA: to log in, you need two pieces of evidence. Most often:
- Something you know: your password.
- Something you have: a unique code sent to your phone.
Enabling MFA on your email (Office 365, Google Workspace), your CRM, and your critical services is the most effective technical measure you can take. It's simple, often free, and blocks almost all account hacking attempts.
Measure #3: Updates and Backups – Belt and Suspenders
Your business relies on its data. If ransomware encrypts all your files tomorrow, can you get back to business? Without a solid backup strategy, the answer is no.
The golden rule is the 3-2-1 strategy:
- 3 copies of your important data.
- On 2 different media (e.g., a local drive and a cloud service).
- With 1 copy off-site, disconnected from your main network.
In parallel, ensure that all your software (Windows, antivirus, browsers...) is systematically updated. These updates patch the security vulnerabilities that hackers seek to exploit.
Conclusion: Serenity is a Process
Cybersecurity is not a product you buy once, but a culture and a set of processes. By implementing these three fundamental pillars – training, MFA, backups/updates – you build a solid foundation. You'll never be an impregnable fortress, but you'll stop being an open door.