Cybersecurity Resources
Practical resources designed to help small businesses understand cybersecurity, identify risks, and take meaningful steps toward protecting their organization.
Explore checklists, templates, guides, worksheets, and other practical tools designed to help you identify risks, improve security practices, and better prepare your business for cyber threats.
Cybersecurity Checklists
Practical checklists that help small businesses work through important security tasks step by step. These resources are designed to make cybersecurity easier to understand and easier to put into practice, whether you're reviewing your current security practices, preparing employees, or identifying areas that need attention.
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A practical starting point for reviewing the essential security practices every small business should consider, including accounts, devices, data, employees, and access controls.
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Steps for strengthening business accounts through strong passwords, multi-factor authentication, access management, and secure account practices.
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A practical guide to help employees recognize common cybersecurity risks and follow safer practices when using email, business systems, devices, and company data.
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A practical guide to help businesses respond when a cybersecurity incident is suspected. It outlines key steps for identifying the issue, containing the threat, documenting what happened, and organizing the next steps toward recovery.
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A practical checklist for identifying the information your business collects, stores, and shares and reviewing the safeguards used to protect it. It helps businesses consider access controls, secure storage, backups, and responsible handling of sensitive information.
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A practical checklist for reviewing the security of your business network, including routers, wireless connections, connected devices, remote access, and network configurations. It helps identify common weaknesses that could expose business systems or data to unauthorized access.
Security Policies & Guidelines
Practical policies and guidelines designed to help small businesses establish consistent security practices and clearly define expectations for protecting business systems, information, and users.
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Establishes expectations for creating, protecting, and managing business accounts and passwords, including secure password practices, multi-factor authentication, and appropriate account access.
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Defines how employees and authorized users are expected to appropriately and securely use company computers, networks, email, internet access, applications, and other business technology.
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Provides practical security expectations for employees working outside the business environment, including protecting devices, securing internet connections, safeguarding company information, and maintaining secure access to business systems.
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Establishes the roles, responsibilities, and procedures a business should follow when responding to a suspected or confirmed cybersecurity incident. It helps provide a structured approach for identifying, containing, documenting, and recovering from security incidents.
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Provides guidance for appropriately handling, storing, sharing, and protecting business and sensitive information throughout its lifecycle. It helps establish consistent practices for reducing the risk of unauthorized access, loss, or disclosure.
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Outlines practical security expectations employees should follow when using business systems, devices, email, applications, and company information. It helps establish consistent security practices and reinforces each employee's role in protecting the organization.
Risk & Security Assessment Resources
Practical resources designed to help businesses identify cybersecurity risks, evaluate their current security practices, and recognize areas that may require additional attention or improvement.
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A structured resource to help businesses identify potential cybersecurity risks, consider their likelihood and potential impact, and organize identified risks for further review.
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A practical assessment tool that helps businesses review their existing cybersecurity practices, identify potential gaps, and determine areas where additional security measures may be needed.
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A resource for identifying and organizing the hardware, software, systems, applications, data, and other technology assets that support business operations.
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A practical resource for evaluating the cybersecurity practices of vendors and service providers that have access to business systems, information, or other resources.
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Helps businesses compare their current security practices against their desired security objectives to identify areas were protections, processes, or documentation may need improvement.
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A structured resource for documenting identified cybersecurity risks, their potential impact, current safeguards, and planned actions for managing or reducing those risks.
Business Continuity & Disaster Recovery Resources
Practical resources designed to help businesses prepare for disruptions, maintain critical operations, and establish a structured approach for recovering systems, data, and essential business functions after an incident or disaster.
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A practical checklist to help businesses identify critical operations, determine what is needed to keep essential functions running during a disruption, and establish priorities for maintaining business operations.
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A structured checklist to help businesses prepare for restoring critical systems, data, technology, and other resources following a cybersecurity incident, system failure, or disaster.
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A practical resource for reviewing how business data is backed up, protected, stored, and recovered, while helping identify areas where backup and recovery practices may need improvement.
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A practical worksheet to help businesses identify their most important functions, determine which operations must be maintained during a disruption, and establish priorities for continuing essential business activities.
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Helps businesses review whether they have the systems, information, responsibilities, and procedures needed to respond to a disruption and begin the recovery process effectively.
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A structured resource for organizing recovery priorities, identifying the people and resources needed for recovery, and documenting the steps required to restore essential business functions.
Cybersecurity Guides & Educational Resources
Informative guides and educational resources designed to help small businesses better understand cybersecurity risks, security practices, and the steps they can take to protect their organization.
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An introduction to fundamental cybersecurity concepts, including common security risks, protective measures, and practical steps businesses can take to establish stronger security practices.
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Explains how phishing and social engineering attacks work, common warning signs to recognize, and practical steps employees and businesses can take to reduce the risk of falling victim to these attacks.
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Explains why strong passwords and multi-factor authentication are important and provides practical guidance for strengthening account security and reducing the risk of unauthorized access.
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Explains the fundamentals of protecting a business network, including routers, firewalls, wireless connections, remote access, and other network security considerations.
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Explains the importance of protecting business and sensitive information and provides practical guidance on secure data handling, storage, access, sharing, and protection.
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Introduces the fundamentals of responding to cybersecurity incidents and explains the importance of preparation, identification, containment, documentation, recovery, and post-incident review.
Security Awareness & Employee Resources
Practical resources designed to help businesses strengthen employee security awareness, recognize common cybersecurity threats, and establish safer practices for using business systems, devices, email, and information.
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Provides practical guidance to help employees understand their role in protecting business systems, accounts, devices, and information while recognizing common cybersecurity risks.
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Helps employees identify common phishing warning signs and review the steps they should take when receiving suspicious emails, messages, links, or requests for information.
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Explains how attackers use manipulation and deception to influence people into revealing information, providing access, or taking unsafe actions, along with practical ways to recognize and avoid these tactics.
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Provides practical recommendations for safer everyday security practices, including protecting accounts, devices, business information, email, and access to company systems.
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Provides practical guidance for employees working remotely, including securing home workspaces, devices, internet connections, business accounts, and company information outside the traditional workplace.
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Explains what employees should do when they encounter a suspected security incident, suspicious activity, phishing attempt, lost device, unauthorized access, or potential exposure of business information.
Cybersecurity Tools & Planning Resources
Practical tools and planning resources designed to help businesses organize their cybersecurity efforts, evaluate their current practices, and establish actionable plans for improving their overall security posture.
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A structured worksheet to help businesses identify cybersecurity priorities, organize security objectives, and outline practical actions for strengthening their overall security practices.
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Helps businesses identify areas where their current security practices may need improvement and organize specific actions, priorities, and next steps for addressing those areas.
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A practical resource for conducting a structured review of business security practices, documenting observations, identifying areas of concern, and determining where additional attention may be needed.
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Helps businesses turn identified security needs into an organized action plan by documenting priorities, recommended actions, responsible individuals, and target completion dates.
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A practical tool for organizing and tracking cybersecurity tasks, improvements, reviews, and other ongoing security activities.
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Helps businesses review their overall level of cybersecurity preparedness by considering key areas such as risk management, access controls, data protection, employee awareness, incident response, and recovery planning.
Put Cybersecurity Into Practice
Cybersecurity doesn't have to be overwhelming. The right information and practical tools can help you understand your risks, prioritize what matters, and take meaningful steps toward protecting your business.
Explore the resources available through Elevate Cyber Defense and choose the tools that best fit your organization's needs.