A breach in cybersecurity can be devastating for a small business. This Business in the Community (BITC) toolkit outlines how small businesses can make sure their web presence is secure. Anywhere your business is represented online is your web presence. This could on websites, social media or blogs. It is important to manage your web presence so sensitive information does not fall into the hands of criminals, causing harm to you or your business.

The toolkit advises your small business to maintain cybersecurity by:

• limiting what you post on your website or social media. Avoid sharing sensitive information that could be used against you in a cyber-attack.
• monitoring your web presence for unusual activities on your accounts and posts from other accounts that could result in harm.
• using only long and complex passwords and a different password for each of your accounts.
• ensuring third-party providers have the relevant security protocols in place to keep your data safe.
• staying informed by reading online forums discussing the latest risks. Websites such as the UK National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) and Get Safe Online also have useful information.

Cybersecurity for small businesses

Cyber-attacks may not be top of your small businesses’ priority list, however, cyber-related incidents are more common than you think. Impacts of cybersecurity breaches on small businesses can be particularly devastating. A breach could mean loss of reputation or contract, a GDPR fine or ultimately lead to small businesses becoming insolvent and closing. Therefore, it is vital that businesses have robust cybersecurity measures in place to avoid a cyber breach, as well as response and recovery plans should the worst occur.

About Business in the Community’s Business Emergency Resilience Group (BERG)

This toolkit was produced by BITC’s Business Emergency Resilience Group (BERG), created by His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales. The group helps UK businesses and communities prepare for, respond to, and recover from emergencies. Convened by BITC, BERG is an influential network of UK business leaders and strategic partners that include national charities and UK government departments. BERG focuses on helping small businesses because they are the backbone of the UK economy. The risk of disruptive events such as a fire, flood or cyber-attack affecting small- and medium-sized enterprises is disproportionally greater. Without proper preparation, any one of these events could result in business failure and potentially life-changing consequences for owners and employees.