Small businesses urged to get safe online

Aspiring entrepreneurs around the country may be focused on Enterprise Week, but another campaigning week is encouraging small businesses to make sure they’re not overlooking online and digital security measures.

Get Safe Online which runs from 17 to 21 November, gives the public and small businesses practical information about how to avoid putting themselves, their computers and their finances at risk from professional gangs of cyber criminals.

The danger with these types of campaigns is that they demonise the internet, or exaggerate the risks.  In fact Get Safe Online appears to provide balanced information and a lot of useful, practical advice.

It does however highlight what appears to be an increase in phishing activity or at least an increase in awareness of such crimes where fraudsters send fake emails or direct people to fake websites which appear to be legitimate, but are designed to collect financial or other personal data from a victim.

Last year only 8% of internet users said they’d been aware of someone falling for a phishing scam, while this year that number had risen to 23%.

Its section on online security for small businesses focuses on security of data, hardware, training of staff, data protection as well as details on how to secure online shops and ebay accounts.

Definitely worth checking you’re doing all you can to avoid any unpleasant digital data losses or cases of business identity theft.

[Picture credit: sciondriver @ Flickr]