Our house sits in a subdivision on the north side of Paragould, AR. The reason we wanted to build there was because of the large field behind the house. Our boys play wiffle ball, frisbee golf, and football out there during the warmer months. Behind the playing area is a patch of natural blackberry bushes. The first summer we lived in the house, I noticed them and went out to pick a few. Like a rookie, I wore shorts and sandals and went out with bare hands. The next day I was covered in chigger bites and my arms looked like I had lost a fight with a wet cat from the thorns. The blackberries were sweet, but the cost of the trip was too high! I didn’t have the right protection.

For a new business owner, wading into the business world can be a lot like that first trip to the blackberry patch. The entrepreneurial prizes look sweet like the berries on the branch, but there are plenty of obstacles keeping them slightly out of reach, or making the process very painful. Every week, our agency consults new and existing business owners on how to protect themselves from the most common “chiggers and thorns” in the claims world. One of the most glaring gaps in coverage right now is cyber-liability.

Here are 10 tips from our agency to you to help protect your business from a cyber-attack:

1. Train employees, emphasizing confidentiality and integrity.

2. Install, use, and regularly update antivirus and antispyware software on all business computers and devices.

3. Use a firewall for your internet connection to prevent unauthorized private network access.

4. Download and install software updates for your operating systems and applications as available.

5. Make frequent backup copies of important business data and information.

6. Control physical access to your computers and network components based on need and job responsibilities.

7. Secure your wi-fi networks and create a secondary connection for visitors.

8. Require individual user accounts for each employee to eliminate sharing login information and unintentionally exposing access to uninvited users.

9. Limit employee access to data and information and restrict authority to install software.

10. Regularly change and securely store passwords.

These days, when I make a trip out to the blackberry patch… boots, jeans, gloves, long sleeves, and bug spray come with. The cobbler is a bit sweeter when you don’t have to eat it with one hand and scratch with the other!

Call Andy today at (870)219-1339 if you have questions about cyber-liability policies and how they can help protect your business.