With the advent of the internet of things (IoT), all business owners need to remember that every access point into a device has become a potential vulnerability point. Furthermore, by 2020, there will be more than 20 billion connected devices ranging from our smartphones to industrial machinery. While many business owners list cybersecurity as a growing burden, their companies still struggle to maintain proper cybersecurity measures.

With cybersecurity concerns only continuing to rise, alliantgroup held a Technology, Economic, Legislative and Policy Summit at its Houston headquarters this fall. Tom Ridge, the first U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security, led an insightful keynote panel on cybersecurity with other technology experts. As the discussion went on, many business owners, CPAs and financial advisers were shocked to learn about the deficiencies of conventional security measures and how vulnerable their data and systems may be.

Our experts agreed that while no single solution would solve every potential threat, there are best practices for what we call good cyber hygiene. Chuck Wilson, the executive director of the National Systems Contractors Association and a special guest at the event, provided the checklist below to help businesses take the necessary steps to protect themselves. All this begs the question: Is your business doing everything in its power to ward off cyberattacks?

1. Perform a cybersecurity technology audit. Ensure this audit checks spam filters, malware protection, etc.

2. Conduct internal process reviews every six months and bring in an outside security consultant at least once a year.

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