If you think your business is too small to be a target, think again. Over 40% of cyberattacks target small businesses, and the average cost of a breach for a small company can be devastating — often enough to shut the doors permanently.
The good news: you don't need an enterprise budget to build a strong security foundation. Here are the essentials every small business should have in place.
Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)
Passwords alone aren't enough. MFA adds a second verification step — usually a code sent to your phone or generated by an app — making stolen passwords useless on their own.
Enable MFA on every account that supports it: email, banking, cloud services, and any business applications. This single step blocks the vast majority of credential-based attacks.
Endpoint Protection
Every device that connects to your network is a potential entry point. Modern endpoint protection goes beyond traditional antivirus to include behavior-based threat detection, automatic isolation of compromised devices, and centralized management.
Make sure every laptop, desktop, and mobile device used for work has endpoint protection installed and actively monitored.
Backup and Recovery
Ransomware attacks encrypt your data and demand payment for the key. The best defense? Reliable backups that let you restore everything without paying a dime.
Follow the 3-2-1 rule: three copies of your data, on two different types of media, with one copy stored offsite or in the cloud. Test your backups regularly — a backup that can't be restored is worthless.
Security Awareness Training
Your team is both your greatest vulnerability and your strongest defense. Phishing emails are the #1 delivery method for malware, and they're getting more sophisticated every day.
Regular security awareness training teaches employees to recognize suspicious emails, links, and attachments. Simulated phishing exercises help reinforce the training and identify who needs extra support.
Network Security
At minimum, every business needs a properly configured firewall, encrypted Wi-Fi, and network segmentation that separates guest traffic from business operations. VPN access for remote workers ensures that data in transit stays protected.
Patch Management
Unpatched software is one of the most common entry points for attackers. Establish a routine for applying security updates across all systems — operating systems, applications, firmware, and plugins.
Automated patch management tools make this manageable even for small teams.
Start with the Fundamentals
You don't need to implement everything at once. Start with MFA and backups — they address the most common and most damaging attack vectors. Then layer on endpoint protection, training, and network security as your budget allows.
The goal isn't perfection. It's making your business a harder target than the one next door.