The National Cyber Security Centre have issued some new guidance on “Using online services safely.”
To avoid having to set up and manage their own IT infrastructure, many small businesses use online or cloud services. For instance, these might include email, online storage, online accounting and managing of invoicing, website hosting, and social media.
The guidance is designed to help small businesses reduce the likelihood of cyber attacks when using these services.
The guidance provides help on:
- Choosing a good service,
- Backing up critical data,
- Protecting the domain name you use for your website and email addresses,
- Creating separate user accounts and securing them,
- Protecting your admin accounts,
- Defending against malware,
- Using the security features that are built into the service, and
- Recovering a hacked account or service.
If you are a small business without the resources to employ a dedicated IT specialist, this advice can help you to consider and cover off the risks you face when using online services.
For the guidance, see:
New changes come into effect from January 2025 where online platforms, such as eBay and Airbnb, will start sharing some user sales and personal data with HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC).
The government’s promised new Fair Payments Code was launched last week to try and tackle late payment problems that can be particularly harmful to small businesses.