Basics

IT security for SMEs

What does IT security mean for an SME?

IT security in a small or mid sized business means reliably doing the few things that stop most real attacks: current systems, tested backups, two-factor login, clean permissions and staff who recognise phishing.

Smaller companies face the same threats as large corporations but rarely have a security team of their own. Most attacks are automated. They look for known vulnerabilities and weak access, and they do not ask how big the target is.

The Austrian Economic Chamber and the federal Onlinesicherheit initiative publish guidance aimed explicitly at businesses without an IT department. Both can be read at no charge and a good starting point before you spend any money.

IT for small and mid sized businesses Where your business stands today

Related terms

Security objectives: confidentiality, integrity, availability The security objectives of information security are confidentiality, integrity and availability. Confidentiality means that only … Attack surface An attack surface is the sum of all the points through which someone could enter your IT: every reachable device, account, applic… Security awareness training Security awareness training is a short, regularly repeated briefing for staff that makes common attacks on people recognisable, s… Backup and restore A backup is a copy of your data. What decides its value is the restore: only a tested restore run proves the copy will hold when …

All terms in the knowledge base

Note: This entry reflects the state of knowledge to the best of our understanding and serves as general orientation. It is not legal advice. What counts is always the version currently in force at the responsible body, for example dsb.gv.at, nis.gv.at or enisa.europa.eu.

From the term to practice

Where does your business actually stand?

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