Network Security Basics for Small and Growing Businesses

You do not need an enterprise IT budget to meaningfully reduce your network risk. Most of the improvements that matter most are configuration and habit changes rather than expensive hardware.

Where to start

• Replace default admin passwords on routers, switches and access points
• Separate guest Wi-Fi from the network your staff devices use
• Turn on multi-factor authentication anywhere it is offered, especially email and remote access
• Keep firmware and firewall software updated on a schedule, not only when something breaks

What often gets missed

Backup testing. Plenty of businesses have backups running that nobody has actually tried restoring from – which means the first real test happens during an actual emergency, which is the worst possible time to discover a problem.