Internet Security Essentials for Business

Several U.S. presidents have called for wide public participation in protecting America’s communications and IT infrastructure, or cyberspace. In May 2009, President Obama also called for a national public awareness and education initiative to promote Internet security.

Through the U.S. Chamber’s  Internet Security Essentials for Business guide, business owners, managers, and employees are urged to adopt fundamental Internet security practices to reduce network weaknesses and make the price of successful hacking increasingly steep. The guide emphasizes the following points:

• All businesses should understand common online risks that may lead them to become victims of cybercrime. This guide is ultimately about business preparedness and resilience.
• Perfect online security is unattainable, even for large businesses. But there are inexpensive practices that can be implemented to improve the security of your information, computers, and networks.
• Businesses need to know how and to whom to report cyber incidents and online crime.
• Cybersecurity is a team sport. Taking the actions recommended in this guide will have positive consequences for the security of businesses, communities, and the country. The interconnectedness of computers and networks in cyberspace means that the public and private sectors share responsibility.

Internet Safety Toolkit

The U.S. Chamber and  Microsoft Trustworthy Computing have teamed up to provide businesses with an Internet Safety at Work toolkit that teaches members of your workforce how to help protect company information, customer data, and their own personal information. The toolkit contains the following resources:

• Internet Safety Toolkit Instructions
  A guide to using each resource.
• Internet Safety at Work PowerPoint Presentation
  20-slide presentation with speaker notes.
• Tip Cards: Top Tips for Internet Safety at Work
  Presentation information condensed into a printable double-sided card.
• Video: "Stay Sharp on Internet Safety at Work"
  Presentation information condensed into a 3-minute video.
• Quiz: Test Your Internet Safety IQ
  Printable 10-question quiz to help spread awareness among your employees.

To request a hard copy of this toolkit, or for questions about using these materials with your audience, contact Microsoft’s online safety resource support.

Supplemental Materials

• Federal Communication Commission - FCC Small Biz Cyber Planner
• FCC’s 10 Cybersecurity Strategies for Small Business tip sheet (PDF)

The Chamber would like to thank Visa, Microsoft, and Southern Company for their sponsorship of Internet Security Essentials for Business.