Five essentials that do the heavy lifting
You can block the large majority of common attacks with five basic controls, the same foundations behind recognised schemes like Cyber Essentials. None of them require a big budget, and together they make your business a much harder target.
Use multi-factor authentication. Turn it on for email, banking, mobile money, cloud services and any administrator account. This single step stops most account takeovers.
Keep everything updated. Enable automatic updates on devices, apps and any website software, and replace equipment that no longer receives security updates.
Protect against malware. Use the built-in or reputable security software on every device, and only install apps from official sources.
Control access. Give each person their own account with only the access they need, and remove access promptly when someone leaves.
Back up your data. Keep a recent backup of critical records separate from your main systems, and check you can restore it.
Secure the basics around them
Change default passwords on routers and devices, secure your business Wi-Fi, and use strong, unique passwords, ideally with a password manager. Lock screens automatically and encrypt laptops and phones so a lost device does not become a data breach.
Make someone responsible
Even in a small business, name the person who owns these tasks and set a simple monthly routine: check updates installed, backups ran and restored, and no unexpected accounts have access. A short, regular check keeps the essentials working as the business changes.
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