National headlines about ransomware attacks crippling Baltimore City and Cleveland Hopkins International Airport might leave smaller businesses thinking that governments and large corporations are the only entities facing a real threat of attack. However, threats against businesses of all sizes have been on the rise. Malwarebytes Labs issued a Cyber Crime Tactics and Techniques 2019 Q1 Report stating that cyberattacks on businesses in general have increased 235% in the past year. Ransomware specifically is gaining rapid momentum in Q1 2019 with a 195% increase in ransomware attacks on businesses from Q4 2018 to Q1 2019.

It happens quite often – someone points out to you that they’ve received a strange email from this person or that person, or maybe even you. Of course, you don’t remember sending that email and why would you include the need to pay an invoice in it for a co-worker? Spam and spoofed emails are a common way hackers and malicious programs penetrate business networks, and are nearly impossible to prevent on a global basis for a given network. However, there are precautions that significantly decrease the volume of malicious emails and educate users on how to handle those that make their way into their inboxes.

Cyberthreats are a major risk to every business of every size. Risks associated with viruses, ransomware, and identity theft can cost you lost revenue, loss of reputation, and in many cases even put you out of business. In today’s world, it’s not a matter of IF a business will experience a cyberthreat but WHEN, so all businesses must be prepared. Specific security requirements vary based on the size and scope of your business, nature of your work, and security compliance regulations. However, a good, multi-layered security approach for all businesses starts with threat prevention, but most important to protecting your business, is built on the foundation of a solid disaster recovery system. This approach should include the following components.