In January, we do our best to nudge small to mid-sized businesses toward IT best practices—actions that kickstart the new year by addressing often overlooked but critical business technology needs. Our resolutions series will offer four weeks of tips and best practices, starting with our #1 recommendation: Mark your calendar and start every new year with a full review of your crucial business IT policies.
While the sexy cybersecurity tools are most often in the spotlight, what many businesses don't understand is that security measures fail because the organization lacks clear, enforceable IT security policies. We often discuss the important role played by your employees when it comes to security, and IT policies are the backbone of having that strong, human perimeter in place.
Key Takeaways
- Strong IT security is not just about tools — policies form the foundation and transform employees into a "human firewall."
- Every small business should implement at least six basic policies: Acceptable Use, Password Standards, MFA, Onboarding/Offboarding, Remote Work/Device, and Data Retention/Destruction.
- Review and communicate policies annually, keep them simple and relevant, and reinforce them through onboarding requirements, regular training, and alignment with your MSP.
The IT Security Policies Your Small Business Needs
Policies are the foundation of a secure environment — not an afterthought. Why? Humans are both the biggest weakness and strength when it comes to protecting your business. Most analysts agree that nearly 90% of all breaches start with human error. When your team makes the right decisions – doesn't fall for phishing scams, doesn't share credentials, updates passwords routinely, and attends training – your business enjoys a much higher level of security than any cybersecurity tool alone can provide.
But without the guidance to make the right decisions, your team can easily open the door to predators. That is why bad actors expend so much energy on creative and tricky social-engineered attacks – humans are the #1 attack vector. So, while security tools work in the background, your business technology policies define expectations and define best practices for your team, providing clear guidance and increasing engagement alongside accountability. When you pair employee security awareness training with solid, clear IT security policies, most businesses see a drastic reduction in the exposure, including as much as a 74% drop in phishing clicks.
While the list of potential business IT security policies an organization needs in place can vary by industry, size, and more, these six policies are must-haves for any small business:
- Acceptable Use Policy: Guidelines that explain how employees can responsibly use company technology (computers, email, the internet, mobile devices, etc.). It protects the business from security risks and ensures everyone uses company resources safely and professionally.
- Password Standards Policy: Rules that require employees to use strong, secure passwords (or better yet, pass phrases) and update them regularly. The goal is to prevent unauthorized access to company systems and safeguard sensitive business data by clearly articulating password policy requirements.
- Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) Requirements Policy: Standards that require employees to verify their identity in more than one way (for example, a password plus a code sent to their phone). An MFA policy for business drastically reduces the risk of cyberattacks and unauthorized access.
- Onboarding and Offboarding Policy: A structured process for granting and removing employee access to company systems. It ensures new hires get the tools they need on day one—and ensures access is removed quickly and cleanly when someone leaves, protecting your business from accidental or intentional misuse.
- Remote Work and Device Policy: Clear rules for employees working outside the office, including how company devices should be used, how data must be protected, and what security measures are required on home networks. This keeps your environment secure—even when your team is distributed—and helps address the risks of Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) options.
- Data Retention and Destruction Policy: Instructions for how long different types of business information must be kept and how it should be securely disposed of when no longer needed. This policy reduces risk, supports compliance, and prevents sensitive data from falling into the wrong hands.
Interested in a more comprehensive list of business technology policies? Download our cheat sheet.
Common Policy Mistakes Made by Many Small Businesses
Creating IT security policies takes commitment and investment of time, and we urge our clients to keep a couple of best practices in mind:
- Keep policies simple and clear, written in plain language, and customized for how your business operates and your team works—industry, compliance, remote workers, etc.
- Remember that an over-complicated IT security policy isn't practical and invites shortcuts and workarounds that defeat its purpose.
- Take the time to explain the "why" behind policies and security best practices for employees to encourage engagement.
Beyond those simple tips, create a procedure within your organization that helps you avoid the common policy mistakes that many businesses make:
- Policies created once but never reviewed (or communicated): One reason we discuss policy creation and review every January is to encourage a regular cadence of review, revisions, and fresh outreach to your team. At least once a year, your leadership team should walk through policies and make updates. Don't forget to loop in your MSP for support and alignment.
- No annual training or sign-off: One of the easiest ways to keep policies on your team's radar is to bake them into onboarding and performance review sessions that most businesses hold regularly.
- Exemptions and inconsistencies: Clarity matters. Not only should you write cybersecurity IT policies in a straightforward, non-technical manner, make sure you define the scope clearly—who and what does the policy apply to.
- Outdated policies that don't reference modern threats: We once uncovered a policy on tape backups that was likely a full decade old, but still active with one of our clients. Outdated policies undermine engagement and effectiveness.
Lean on Your MSP For Help with Policy Development
Policy review is part of the onboarding process for most reputable managed services providers, but you can always ask for guidance and resources from your business technology partner. Don't over look your cyber insurance provider as a great source for advice on required policies and best practices.
Throughout your partnership, your MSP should review cybersecurity policies and procedures you have in place with your team to ensure they align with your cybersecurity solutions, compliance needs, and your long-term IT roadmap. Leveraging your MSP to help with prioritizing policy development, ensuring communication and clarity around policies, and aligning your policies with best practices is essential. Your trusted business technology partner can also provide advice on establishing a security awareness training program that aligns with your IT security policies.
Start the year with a new tradition: Reviewing and revising your critical business IT policies. Let Exigent help you build and enforce the policies that keep your business secure.
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