As more Jamaican entrepreneurs turn to the Internet to maximise sales and grow their business, the Jamaica Business Development Corporation (JBDC) is encouraging businesses to also beef up their cybersecurity framework.

Speaking at a recent JBDC webinar, founder of ResolveIT Limited Almando Cox shared best practices for entrepreneurs in securing their data.

Cox defines cybersecurity as “a deliberate attempt to protect your digital assets from unauthorised use”.

He underscored the importance of creating systems to protect these digital assets and said “businesses must have a cybersecurity strategy in place. This can begin by including training for employees on best practices, having policies that detail what employees can and cannot do. There must be a structure in place for data storage that, if key staff members are out of office, the work can go on.”

Businesses are urged to give specific attention to data confidentiality, acceptable use of devices, and information as well as the due diligence and care to be given to the matter of data security. “The most important aspect of any business’ information system management is the people and how much awareness they have surrounding the technologies and data security,” Cox said.

He encouraged entrepreneurs to have a disaster recovery plan, noting that, in the event of natural disasters or hard drive and device failure, their digital assets are not lost completely. “One of the most convenient ways to backup data is through cloud storage. IT professionals also encourage the 3, 2, 1 rule, which essentially means that there are three copies of the data saved on two separate mediums, and one copy must be stored offline,” he explained.

Data are an important assets for any business and the confidentiality of that information should be top priority for business owners. Cox suggested taking seriously methods of protection such as passwords, multi-factor authentication, and encryption, which are means of giving due diligence to the security of business information.

Continuing, he highlighted best practices for cybersecurity, such as avoiding chain messages, avoiding downloading illegal software, avoiding unsafe websites, and installing antivirus software for devices. He encouraged entrepreneurs to give due diligence and care to their digital footprint to avoid breach and hacking of vital and personal information.

Entrepreneurs are being encouraged to participate in JBDC’s webinar series to learn more about how the various assets in their business can be protected. The next session will be hosted on Tuesday, April 12, 2022 under the theme ‘Contracts: Think Before You Ink’, presented by attorney-at-law Ineka Brydson.

The JBDC Virtual Biz Zone webinars are geared toward stimulating entrepreneurs within the MSME sector. These sessions are held on Tuesdays at 10:00 am via Zoom. Interested individuals are encouraged to join by registering at www.jbdc.net. The sessions can also be watched on JBDC’s YouTube channel.