Why small business owners need to routinely update their passwords

It’s incredible how sophisticated cyber hackers have become. In fact, U.S. businesses have lost more than $4 billion because of cyber related incidents.

As small businesses become more and more reliant on mobile devices, it’s crucial to follow best practices of safeguarding your private information and sensitive data.

Hackers love to target small businesses, which are seen as vulnerable and easy prey. Scared yet? Cyber threats are a serious concerns, just check the news about data breaches.

Let’s start with the password. To keep it simple, think of a password like a toothbrush. Change it often. Your teeth 🦷 need clean hygiene to maintain your best health. Same goes for passwords.

Size matters. Well, in a sense it doesn’t always matter, but when it comes to passwords the longer, the better.

Make it complicated. Use a variety of letters, numbers and symbols in you passwords. And use different passwords for each account. For real. Do this and it will help safeguard your information.

Go unfamiliar. Never use words in your passwords that are easy to associate with your identity such as MiamiDolphinFan123 or IloveDogs123. Please don’t.

A change will do you good. Change out your passwords every time you would change your toothbrush. Because clean cyber hygiene will greatly help prevent a data breach, which could cost you tons of money in fines and fees to recover.

Maintain proper storage. Go the extra mile and store your passwords in a safe place, offline. Try a locked 🔒 drawer, for instance and date the list of passwords to keep things organized.

By following these smart tips, small business owners can save money and time as cyber attackers are ruthlessly on the rise.