Managed IT services provider tTech Limited is urging small businesses to prioritise data protection and IT compliance for their operations as quickly as possible, in preparation for the soon-to-be enacted Data Protection Act.

Due to the pandemic, many businesses have increased their online presence and activities in an effort to sustain operations. This has created an entry for various bad actors to ramp up scamming, data theft and phishing attempts by preying on unsuspecting companies with perceived vulnerable systems.

“Sadly, many small and medium-sized businesses don’t believe attacks can or will happen to them and, further, the data protection and IT compliance laws won’t apply to them because they think it’s just the ‘big guys’ that get targeted,” stated Chris Reckord, tTech’s chief executive officer.

“On the contrary, as we get closer to actualisation, small and medium-size businesses will find that they will not be exempt from the strict data protection and IT compliance laws, and breaches of these laws could, unfortunately, see monetary fines of up to 4 per cent of companies’ global revenue,” he continued.

Standard 7 of the Data Protection Act requires that satisfactory systems be put in place to ensure that personal data are accessed only by authorised individuals and prevent unauthorised sharing.

Reckord underscored that this means that small businesses, in order to avoid embarrassment, client mistrust and even legal ramifications, need to have a robust plan of action to prevent cyberattacks.

In addition to the use of official IT compliance services, tTech further suggested a comprehensive 5-step cybersecurity process for small businesses to begin engaging with some of the basic technical measures necessary for protection.

This include a detailed inventory of all of the company’s approved hardware and software; implementing adequate access control measures to ensure that no access is granted to the work system without the right credentials; installing anti-malware solutions to scan and check systems regularly for unauthorised or suspicious activity; updating and applying the patches regularly to software; and conducting cybersecurity awareness training for the entire team annually to acclimatise them to potential threats.

“With the passing of the Data Protection Act that will soon be enacted by the Government, it would be best for local small businesses to join the movement and begin to view protection and compliance as a matter of utmost priority for them in the new year,” Reckord said.