Startups and IT Security

Stop! Before you enter your business information into that form or your bank login to check your accounts, stop. As a startup, you have a plethora of things to worry about from your business plans, to investors to launch and maintenance. Internet security should be something you’ve thought about and taken measurements to secure. Whether you consult an IT professional or not, you need to ensure your business and your customers’ information is safe. Here are tips and stats on protecting your business.

Some Stats

It isn’t just a corporation or an individual who suffers from threats of cyberattacks. Small businesses and startups tend to have more money in the bank than individuals, but fewer security measures than larger companies. Attackers know this. Here are stats on cyber-threats and internet security to consider as you launch your business:

• 85% of small businesses think their companies are cyber-secure, but barely half of these businesses actually have a cyber-security strategy or plan in place and nearly 80% say they lack a written Internet security policy (Symantec, 2011).
• Symantec reports that 65% of the malicious URLs posted on social networks were shortened URLs.
• One particular attack kit has stolen more than $70 million from SMBs’ online banking and trading accounts.
• Past Symantec research found that 40 percent of all targeted cyberattacks are directed at companies with fewer than 500 employees.
• 40% of respondents said their business lacks a contingency plan for responding to or reporting a data breach or loss of customer or employee information, credit card information or intellectual property.
• Statistics also suggest roughly 60 percent of small businesses will close within six months of a cyberattack.
• In a study based on more than 1,000 small businesses, just 37% of those in the U.S. surveyed have an employee policy or guidelines in place for remote use of company information on mobile device.
• The number of reported vulnerabilities for mobile devices rose by 42 percent in 2010.

Security Measures

According to a recent Symantec Threat Report, 82% of data that was either lost or stolen could have been avoided if the business followed a simple cyber security plan. As your startup prepares to handle customers, having a simply internet security plan in place can greatly reduce your chances of falling victim to a cyberattack. Here are steps your startup can take in reducing the chances of a security breach: