Guide
Small business cyber security checklist
Twelve practical steps based on NCSC guidance, in priority order.
Comparison
Best password manager for small business
1Password, Bitwarden, Proton Pass and NordPass compared.
Versus
NordVPN vs Proton VPN vs Surfshark
Devices, plans, free options and jurisdictions side by side.
What to do first
If you only do three things this week: turn on two-factor authentication for your email, banking and website logins; start using a password manager so every password is unique; and make sure your important files are backed up somewhere separate. Our checklist explains why and how.
A VPN is useful when you work on public Wi-Fi, but it is not a substitute for those basics. See which VPN to choose.
The most common threats to small businesses
- Phishing: emails, texts and calls that trick you into giving away logins or paying a fake invoice.
- Account takeover: criminals log in with passwords leaked from other sites, which is why unique passwords and two-factor authentication matter so much.
- Ransomware and malware: software that locks or steals your files, which good backups and updates help you recover from.
- Payment diversion fraud: fake requests to change a supplier's bank details.
Where to get free help
The National Cyber Security Centre publishes a free Small Business Guide and Cyber Aware advice written for non-specialists. You can forward suspicious emails to report@phishing.gov.uk and suspicious texts to 7726. If you want to show customers you take security seriously, the government-backed Cyber Essentials scheme is a sensible next step once the basics are in place.
A security plan in one afternoon
| Step | Time | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Turn on two-factor authentication for email and banking | 30 minutes | Free |
| Install a password manager and change your top 10 passwords | 1 to 2 hours | Free to a few pounds a month |
| Turn on automatic updates on every device | 20 minutes | Free |
| Set up automatic backups and test a restore | 1 hour | Free to low cost |
| Agree a rule: always phone to confirm bank detail changes | 10 minutes | Free |
Each step is explained in our small business cyber security checklist. For password managers that suit teams, see our password manager comparison.
How we compare security tools
We compare published features, device limits, free plans, trials and refund terms from the providers' official websites, and show the date we checked. We have not run our own speed or security tests, and we say so on each page. See how we review.