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Robin Schultz of PC Medics, left, talks during an IT 101 panel discussion organized by the Hoover Small Business Alliance at the Hyatt Regency Birmingham — The Wynfrey Hotel in Hoover, Alabama, on Wednesday, 'April 3, 2024.
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People listen during an IT 101 panel discussion organized by the Hoover Small Business Alliance at the Hyatt Regency Birmingham — The Wynfrey Hotel in Hoover, Alabama, on Wednesday, 'April 3, 2024.
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Hoover Small Business Alliance founder Traci Fox welcomes people to an IT 101 panel discussion at the Hyatt Regency Birmingham — The Wynfrey Hotel in Hoover, Alabama, on Wednesday, 'April 3, 2024.
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Hoover Small Business Alliance founder Traci Fox welcomes people to an IT 101 panel discussion at the Hyatt Regency Birmingham — The Wynfrey Hotel in Hoover, Alabama, on Wednesday, 'April 3, 2024.
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People listen during an IT 101 panel discussion organized by the Hoover Small Business Alliance at the Hyatt Regency Birmingham — The Wynfrey Hotel in Hoover, Alabama, on Wednesday, 'April 3, 2024.
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Breakfast is served at an IT 101 panel discussion organized by the Hoover Small Business Alliance at the Hyatt Regency Birmingham — The Wynfrey Hotel in Hoover, Alabama, on Wednesday, 'April 3, 2024.
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People mingle at an IT 101 panel discussion organized by the Hoover Small Business Alliance at the Hyatt Regency Birmingham — The Wynfrey Hotel in Hoover, Alabama, on Wednesday, 'April 3, 2024.
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Keith Keller of American Computer Consultants, center, talks during an IT 101 panel discussion organized by the Hoover Small Business Alliance at the Hyatt Regency Birmingham — The Wynfrey Hotel in Hoover, Alabama, on Wednesday, 'April 3, 2024.
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Louie Smith of the Better Business Bureau, left, and Andrew Butler of Reliant Media talk at an IT 101 panel discussion organized by the Hoover Small Business Alliance at the Hyatt Regency Birmingham — The Wynfrey Hotel in Hoover, Alabama, on Wednesday, 'April 3, 2024.
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Tyler Carroll of Sawyer Solutions talks during an IT 101 panel discussion organized by the Hoover Small Business Alliance at the Hyatt Regency Birmingham — The Wynfrey Hotel in Hoover, Alabama, on Wednesday, 'April 3, 2024.
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Hoover Mayor Frank Brocato says a few words at an IT 101 panel discussion organized by the Hoover Small Business Alliance at the Hyatt Regency Birmingham — The Wynfrey Hotel in Hoover, Alabama, on Wednesday, 'April 3, 2024.
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Panelists at an IT 101 panel discussion organized by the Hoover Small Business Alliance at the Hyatt Regency Birmingham — The Wynfrey Hotel in Hoover, Alabama, on Wednesday, 'April 3, 2024, included, from left, Robin Schultz of PC Medics, Keith Keller of American Computer Consultants and Tyler Carroll of Sawyer Solutions
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People listen during an IT 101 panel discussion organized by the Hoover Small Business Alliance at the Hyatt Regency Birmingham — The Wynfrey Hotel in Hoover, Alabama, on Wednesday, 'April 3, 2024.
Technology is constantly changing, and cybersecurity threats to businesses are increasing, so taking proper steps to protect your business and its data is extremely important, experts told Hoover small business owners Wednesday.
Three information technology experts shared some basic advice with about 80 people at the Hoover Small Business Alliance breakfast at the Hyatt Regency Birmingham — The Wynfrey Hotel, covering topics such as ransomware, data mining, computer backup systems, artificial intelligence and software and hardware choices.
Some small business owners may think their business is not likely to be impacted by ransomware, which is a type of malicious software designed to block someone’s access to their own computer system unless they pay a sum of money, because they don’t believe anyone would be targeting a business as small as theirs.
But most of the time, people who are behind ransomware are not targeting specific companies, said Keith Keller of American Computer Consultants. They’re just casting a wide net to many companies and seeing which ones they can catch with a tricky link or attachment, he said.
One of the biggest ways to guard against ransomware, in addition to software programs, is to make sure your employees are trained how to guard against it, said Robin Schultz of PC Medics.
Tyler Carroll of Sawyer Solutions agreed and said it’s also important to have proper backup systems in place that periodically copy data on computer networks so the network can be restored if data or access to data is lost.
And having a backup system is not enough, Carroll said. That backup system needs to be tested occasionally to make sure it is working and that the information you think is being saved is actually being saved, he said.
Business owners also should be aware of how frequently their system is being backed up, whether every four hours, 12 hours or once a day, Carroll said.
“All those things play a key role in determining what you can actually recover if you need to,” he said.
Photo by Jon Anderson
People listen during an IT 101 panel discussion organized by the Hoover Small Business Alliance at the Hyatt Regency Birmingham — The Wynfrey Hotel in Hoover, Alabama, on Wednesday, 'April 3, 2024.
Keller said the type of backup system you have also makes a difference in determining how quickly you can get your system back up and running if you lose it. If backup files are stored in an image format, the system can restore lost information in about an hour, he said.
Backup systems also should use immutable backups, which are copies of data that cannot be altered, changed or deleted in any way, and use Airgap technology, which is a security measure that ensures the network is physically isolated from any other network, Keller said.
If a potential technology provider doesn’t offer that, you should move on and find someone else who does, he said.
Outsourced cybersecurity services unfortunately are getting more expensive due to the evolving nature of cyberattacks and now typically cost $100 to $300 per user, depending on the size of the contract and cybersecurity compliances, Carroll said.
Keller said most businesses invest 5 to 10% of their overall budget in technology, and only a portion of that is for security. Businesses need multiple security tools from multiple vendors because one tool is not going to catch all types of attacks, he said.
Schultz said, when thinking about the cost of cybersecurity, it’s important to think about what it’s going to cost you if you get attacked and can’t be online. “How many days are you going to be without revenues if you get hit?” he said. “Cost is a two-way street.”
Keller said businesses also need cybersecurity liability insurance. If your normal insurance provider isn’t talking to you about that, you need to ask, he said. Some offer riders on other types of insurance that offer $25,000 worth of coverage, but that is not near enough in today’s world, Keller said. Businesses need $500,000 to $1 million worth of cyber liability coverage now, he said. That probably will cost about $2,000 to $4,000 a year, he said.
“And you need to understand what it covers and what it doesn’t,” he said. If your insurance agent can’t explain it, contact a technology consultant who can explain it to you or call the entity that is writing the insurance instrument, he said.
Business owners also should be aware that in 2018, the Alabama Legislature passed the Alabama Breach Notification Act, which requires businesses to notify their customers within a certain timeframe if their customers’ sensitive information has been compromised. Cyber liability insurance helps cover the cost of recovery, remediation and public relations regarding the breech, Keller said.
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Tyler Carroll of Sawyer Solutions talks during an IT 101 panel discussion organized by the Hoover Small Business Alliance at the Hyatt Regency Birmingham — The Wynfrey Hotel in Hoover, Alabama, on Wednesday, 'April 3, 2024.
Businesses also should run exercises with employees to make sure they know what to do when a security breech has happened, Carroll said.
It helps to have a technology consultant who can help you prevent those breeches from happening in the first place, Schultz said. Employees can forward suspicious emails to the technology consultant for review before opening them, he said. “The bad guys are good. We need to be better.”
But if a security breech does happen, it’s important to unplug the device from the internet and from the network to isolate the damage, but not to unplug from the power source, Keller said. Also, if you discover that money has been rerouted through your computer system without your knowledge or direction, contact the FBI or the U.S. Secret Service and your insurance agent immediately, he said.
“The faster they get involved in it, the faster there’s a chance you’ll be able to prevent the money from being rerouted,” he said. Usually, there is a hold on the money transfer for 24 to 48 hours, he said.
Choosing the right software or hardware for your business also can be difficult if you’re not skilled in technology, said attorney Paul DeMarco, who served as moderator for the “IT 101” panel discussion. He asked the experts how people can know what they need to buy for their business.
Schultz said, obviously, people have budgets they have to live by, but they should buy the most advanced technology they can afford and not necessarily the cheapest on the market.
“If you can afford more than a $600 laptop, don’t buy the $600 laptop,” he said. “If you can afford $1,000, buy the $1,000 laptop. Don’t skimp on IT.”
Keller advised businesses to get the “pro version” of operating systems, not systems built for consumers. “There are security features you can turn on that the home version doesn’t have,” he said. “The difference is only about $100.”
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Hoover Small Business Alliance founder Traci Fox welcomes people to an IT 101 panel discussion at the Hyatt Regency Birmingham — The Wynfrey Hotel in Hoover, Alabama, on Wednesday, 'April 3, 2024.
Some industries have specific software they will need, such as computer-aided design software for architects, so it’s important to go to the manufacturer of that software and ask for their system requirements before purchasing an operating system, Keller said.
Also, businesses should not get their computer hardware from consumer stores such as Best Buy, Carroll said. They should go directly to the manufacturer to make sure they are getting business grade products, he said.
DeMarco noted that many business cell phones are tied to computer systems now and asked what business owners need to know about those connections.
Schultz said systems can be set up now to where people can use their phones to handle most anything they can do on a laptop or desktop.
“The key thing is to make sure everything is still secure because your system is only as good as its weakest link,” he said. “If there’s a way to get in, they will get in. Your cell phone is a way for the bad guys to get in, so you need to make sure it’s as secure as your laptop. Any mobile device needs to be as protected as a device that’s in the business.”
Carroll said it’s also important for businesses, if their employees have access to the company email system through their phone, to be cognizant of what data they can access through the phone because if it could be a problem if the phone is lost or stolen.”
He recommends that companies provide electronic devices for employees to use so the company can make sure the device is properly encrypted and has protections in place. Also, when an employee leaves, it’s better for the company to keep the device so it has control over what happens to that connection, he said.
The three experts also talked about artificial intelligence, which in general is any tool that automates a task to save time.
For example, in radiology, there are tools now that can read X-rays to identify any suspicious X-rays that need to be checked by a doctor to determine if cancer is present, Keller said. The AI tool can surf through those X-rays at lightning speed to find suspicious ones, while previously a doctor had to spend time looking at each and every one, he said.
The key to making sure an AI tool is effective is to have only the most experienced professionals designing it to make certain it does the job correctly, he said.
To see the complete IT 101 discussion that took place Wednesday, go to the Hoover Small Business Alliance Facebook page for the video. The Hoover Small Business Alliance typically meets every other month to discuss different topics to help small business owners succeed.
