Cyber Security Checks for Small Businesses

Small business owners, accountants, dental and physio clinics, law offices and non-profits that have no IT staff.

One-off audit fee, setup projects charged per job, and a monthly contract for monitoring, updates and staff awareness sessions.

• Networking and security basics, such as firewalls, email filtering and backups
• Clear report writing for non-technical owners
• Building trust and selling to business owners

• Professional liability (errors and omissions) and cyber insurance, as well as commercial general liability
• Written scope and authorization before testing or accessing any system
• Privacy law, such as PIPEDA or provincial rules, and Quebec's own requirements, depending on the client's data
• Avoid promising that a client will never be breached
• Check whether you need a municipal or home-based business licence and register for GST/HST when required

Startup costs are typically estimated at around $1,000 to $5,000, depending on your tools, insurance, reporting templates and marketing. Costs vary with how much software and professional cover you buy before taking your first clients.

Estimated monthly revenue is typically around $1,500 to $7,500, depending on how many clients you audit and how many monthly protection contracts you hold. The estimate assumes at least about 10 hours a week.

Check professional liability (errors and omissions), cyber and general liability insurance, and get written scope and authorization before accessing any system. Check privacy law such as PIPEDA, provincial and Quebec rules, and avoid promising that a client will never be breached.