Protect Yourself

It Pays To Be Prepared

• Review your insurance policies now. Then, at least once a year, consult with your agent to be sure that you remain adequately covered and understand your deductibles.
• Diversify your customer base geographically. If one area you serve is severely impacted by a disaster, you can continue business as usual in another that isn’t.
• Develop relationships with back-up suppliers. Before disaster strikes, build a network of repair services and suppliers you can call on to get up and running as soon as it’s safe to do so.
• Meet with your accountant, attorney, banker and other professional advisors. Find out when and how to quickly access your records — and your money.
• Create a fire- and water-proof “Records-to-Go” box. Place important documents and supplies in a box you store in a safe, off-site location. If you must evacuate the area, bring it with you.

Cybersecurity: Threats to Your Connectivity

Protecting Your Data and Digital Footprint

Small businesses may be particularly vulnerable to cyberthreats because they often have fewer preventive measures in place than large corporations. These threats include:

Website Tampering Defacing your website, hacking your system and compromising webpages to allow invisible code that may download spyware onto your device.

Data Theft Stealing your computer files and hardware or peripherals (CDs, flash drives, etc.); intercepting your emails.

Denial-of-Service Attacks Locking the computer and/or crashing your system with the ultimate goal of preventing you from conducting business with your Internet-connected systems.

Malicious Code and Viruses Sent over the Internet for the purpose of finding your files and deleting critical data or locking your computer/system. Ransomware restricts access to the infected computer/system and demands that a ransom be paid in order to remove the restriction.

Protecting Consumers and Fighting Back

Two Florida cyber-laws govern how businesses must deal with a data breach or hackers/former employees who steal their data.

The Florida Information Protection Act Requires businesses to inform Floridians within 30 days when their unencrypted personal information has been compromised and to notify the Florida Attorney General if more than 500 customers are affected. Firms don’t have to tell consumers if they and law enforcement determine no one is likely to suffer identity theft or financial loss; they must still inform the Attorney General.

The Computer Abuse and Data Recovery Act Allows businesses to collect damages from people who access their data without permission and cause harm to the business or gain for themselves. A company must show it took reasonable steps to prevent such theft.

Tags: Florida Small Business, Business Basics