Most business owners know they need to be secure, but they don’t know where to start. Cybersecurity can feel overwhelming, especially with constant news about ransomware, phishing scams, and data breaches. The good news is that strong security doesn’t require enterprise-level complexity. By implementing a few foundational best practices, you can dramatically reduce your risk and protect your business, employees, and customers from the majority of modern cyber threats.
Who This Guide Is For
This guide is designed for small and mid-sized business owners who rely on Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, or Apple devices and want practical, immediately actionable security improvements.
1. Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)
Multi-Factor Authentication is the single most effective way to prevent unauthorized account access.
Implementation Difficulty: Low
Security Impact: Very High
The first step to securing your data is enabling multi-factor authentication (MFA). Multi-factor authentication (also called Two-Factor Authentication) requires your password plus a second verification method. We know, multi-factor is annoying, but this added layer of security does wonders keeping hackers at bay. When an account is compromised, two-factor authentication allows account owners to regain access, update login credentials, and report the breach. It’s already complicated to breach one layer of security, adding a second compounds this difficulty, stopping most attacks completely. According to Microsoft security research, MFA blocks over 99% of account compromise attacks.
Microsoft – One action that prevents 99.9% of attacks
Multi-factor Authentication or two-factor authentication refers to login processes that require a password + a second verification method. This process usually involves entering a code sent to your phone, using the Google Authenticator app to get a one-time code, or biometric scans (FaceID).
How to Enable Multi-Factor Authentication
Microsoft 365 (Outlook, Teams, OneDrive)
Official guide:
Microsoft Official Guide
Steps (Admin Setup for a Business):
Sign in to the Microsoft 365 Admin Center (admin.microsoft.com).
Go to Users → Active Users.
Select a user.
Click Manage multi-factor authentication.
Enable MFA for the user.
The user will be prompted to set up an authenticator app at next login.
Recommended: Use the Microsoft Authenticator app instead of SMS text messages when possible.
Google Workspace (Gmail, Drive, Google Admin)
Official guide:
Google Official Guide
Steps (Admin Setup):
Log in to admin.google.com.
Go to Security → Authentication → 2-Step Verification.
Turn on enforcement for your organization.
Choose an enforcement date.
Save changes.
Users will then be guided to connect an authenticator app or security key.
Apple ID (For Mac, iPhone, iCloud Business Use)
Official guide:
Apple Official Guide
Steps (iPhone or iPad):
Go to Settings → [Your Name] → Password & Security.
Tap Turn On Two-Factor Authentication.
Follow the prompts to verify a trusted phone number.
Confirm setup.
On Mac:
Go to System Settings → Apple ID → Password & Security.
Turn on Two-Factor Authentication.
Once identity protection is secured, the next critical step is ensuring your systems remain updated and patched.
2. Keep All Software Automatically Updated
Regular updates close security vulnerabilities before attackers can exploit them.
Implementation Difficulty: Low
Security Impact: High
According to the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), unpatched software is the leading cause of exploitation online.
Security updates are constantly going live for any business software you use, and these updates are not to be ignored. They address current vulnerabilities, preemptively close security gaps, and flag suspicious files/processes. This ones a no-brainer. Update your software, and turn on automatic updates.
How To:
Turn on automatic updates in Windows/OS
Enable browser auto-updates
Update firewall/router firmware quarterly
Replace unsupported software (When software stops getting updates, stop using it)
With systems properly updated, the next major vulnerability to address is password security.
3. Use Strong, Unique Passwords (and a Password Manager)
Strong, unique passwords dramatically reduce credential-based attacks.
Implementation Difficulty: Low
Security Impact: Very High
Its time to update your password strategy. According to the Verizon Data Breach Investigations Report (DBIR), over 80% of breaches involve compromised credentials.
Instead of using easy to guess words (pet/street/family member names, graduation years etc.) use phrases (Flatiron123 → iLoveFlatirons123!), numbers, symbols, and capital letters. More importantly, update passwords quarterly. If you’re worried that your account is compromised, enter your credentials into HaveIBeenPwned.com to check dark web databases for breaches.
Many business tools already include an option to require a new password every few months, if you have access to this, enable it. That being said, investing in a Password Manager is the ideal route for business owners. All passwords are stored together for easy access, protected behind a multi-factor authentication system with built-in security. This makes it easy to give your whole company access to important credentials without confusion, and without sacrificing security. We recommend Keeper Security, though there are many excellent options available.
Even with strong credentials, businesses must prepare for worst-case scenarios by protecting their data.
4. Back Up Your Data
Backups ensure your business can recover from ransomware, hardware failure, or accidental deletion.
Implementation Difficulty: Moderate
Security Impact: Very High
When backing up data, make sure to always follow the 3-2-1 rule:
3 copies of important data
2 different storage media types
1 off-site copy
Store your data in separate types of storage media, such as a local drive and cloud storage service. Keep one copy in a remote, off-site location, ideally far from your location to prevent natural and physical disasters that could destroy copies. Backups are your final recovery mechanism in the event of ransomware encryption. According to guidance from CISA’s Ransomware Guide, offline and off-site backups are critical to ransomware recovery.
Backups should be tested quarterly to ensure they can be successfully restored.
Technology controls are critical, but human awareness is equally important.
5. Train Employees to Recognize Phishing
Employee awareness significantly reduces the likelihood of successful phishing attacks.
Implementation Difficulty: Low
Security Impact: High
Phishing attacks happen when someone impersonates a known entity to convince you to provide sensitive information to them. This is one of the most common forms of account breach, and the best way to prevent it is to educate your team. Seasoned professionals should have no issue spotting these sorts of scams, even though they can be tough to spot. When somebody sees an email that looks suspicious, make sure to report it to your IT department before interacting with the email in any way. Don’t respond, don’t open attachments, don’t click links.
For additional small business guidance, see the FTC’s cybersecurity recommendations:
https://www.ftc.gov/business-guidance/small-businesses/cybersecurity
Beyond user behavior, your network infrastructure must also be secured.
6. Secure Your Local Network
Modern network security relies on layered protections including encryption, firewalls, and updated firmware.
Implementation Difficulty: Moderate
Security Impact: High
One of the easiest ways bad actors can access your information is through your local network (wifi). Modern network security relies on multiple layers of protection. Three foundational components are WPA3, firewalls, and router firmware.
WPA3 (Wi-Fi Protected Access 3) is the latest wireless security protocol used to protect Wi-Fi networks.
https://www.wi-fi.org/discover-wi-fi/security
A firewall acts as a barrier between your internal network and the internet. It monitors incoming and outgoing traffic and blocks unauthorized or suspicious activity based on predefined rules.
Router firmware is the built-in software that controls how a router functions. Keeping firmware updated is critical, as manufacturers release updates to patch security vulnerabilities and improve performance.
Step-by-step
Change default router password
Enable WPA3 (or WPA2 if WPA3 is unavailable)
Disable WPS
Create separate guest network
Limiting internal access further reduces the potential damage of any breach.
7. Limit Employee Access
Restricting access reduces breach severity and limits internal attack movement.
Implementation Difficulty: Moderate
Security Impact: High
Use the least privilege principle. Give people only the access they need to do their jobs, nothing more. Administrative access should be heavily logged and audited. This strategy minimizes breach severity when breaches do happen, and reduces the frequency of breaches. This approach significantly limits lateral movement during a breach and reduces overall financial impact.
For formal access control standards, refer to NIST guidance.
Finally, every business must prepare for the possibility of an actual security incident.
8. Create an Incident Response Plan
A documented response plan reduces panic, downtime, and financial damage during a security event.
Implementation Difficulty: Moderate
Security Impact: Very High
An Incident Response Plan details the plan for IT and cybersecurity professions that gives instructions on how to respond to security breaches, data leaks, ransomware attacks, and loss of information. Many cyber insurance policies require documented security controls and a written incident response plan in order to maintain coverage.
For federal guidance on incident response planning, see:
https://csrc.nist.gov/publications/detail/sp/800-61/rev-2/final
Conclusion
Cybersecurity does not require enterprise-level complexity. By consistently implementing these eight foundational controls, most small and mid-sized businesses can eliminate the majority of common cyber risks. The key is consistency, documentation, and accountability.
If you and your team need professional IT Support and Cybersecurity, ITGuys has you covered! We offer managed it support for small-to-medium businesses across the US! Contact ITGuys Today!
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