Imagine your business is running smoothly; you’re getting daily sales, your inventory is rotating abundantly, and customers are coming and going like they always do. All is well – until you find out that someone has hacked your system, and stolen all sensitive information from you.

Now, you might think that that will never happen to you – but that’s far from true. Today’s age of the internet has given the wrong kind of people enough power and flexibility to hack systems and conduct widespread cyber attacks from just a single computer.

It is important for all kinds of business – small or big – to defend themselves against such breaches. Fortunately, we’ve got some tips you should follow to protect yourself:

Recognize What’s Sensitive

Hackers will always go after data that’s valuable – so if you know what’s sensitive in your systems, you’ll have a better idea of how to defend yourself. List down pieces of information you have that may be susceptible to cyberattacks, like contact details, email addresses, media, bank information, etc.

Keep Hardware Secure

Protecting hardware is just as important as protecting software. It may be extremely easy to access sensitive data through hardware devices like laptops, tablets, mobile phones, etc. So make sure they are secure with special passcodes that are regularly changed. You should also keep a defense plan in case some piece of hardware is stolen – for example, you could freeze all login capabilities so that the device is locked down for good, or enable its tracking feature.

Inform Your Employees

Your employees interact with your business data as much as you do, so keep them informed on the various procedures they can follow to ensure complete cyber-security. You could share preventative tips like changing passcodes and not opening sketchy emails, to counteractive measures like using antivirus software.

Keep Software Updated

Older versions of different software are more susceptible to external attacks because they have more chances of loopholes or vulnerabilities that hackers can take advantage of easily. So make sure all of your software is updated regularly. Conduct checkups on a weekly or bi-weekly basis so that you know all of your systems are updated and running well.

Choose The Best Partners

Who says you have to fight this fight alone? Small businesses especially can’t handle immense attacks on their own, so they need help from others. You could either rely on external help that will keep you safe; a great example is the use of cybersecurity insurance that defends your business from any kind of cyber harm and helps cover any legal costs. This is exceptionally necessary for small businesses who want some extra protection.

Another measure you can take is to install antivirus software that regularly sweeps through your system to pick apart any potentially harmful activity. Such software can also alert you beforehand in case a security breach does happen. You can also install firewall software, which can completely block possible attacks from unsafe sources.

There is one more way you can prevent cyber-attacks: trust secure platforms. For example, using a point of sale software like Oscar POS keeps your data encrypted, safe and secure, by keeping it all on the cloud. Regular backups make sure your data is updated and always monitored. Plus, special passcodes are needed to access sensitive data, which gives you yet another defensive edge.


Chances for cyberattacks may seem high, but your business doesn’t have to be defenseless anymore. Now, you can put up a good fight – and win!