By definition, cybersecurity is the action taken to protect computer-based systems from attack or unauthorized access. Many think cybersecurity is a problem that only plagues large corporations. We frequently hear about data breaches of big corporations and government entities such as Target, Wendy's, the U.S. Department of Justice, and the Internal Revenue Service. But what about small businesses? They are small enough to fly under the radar of cybercriminals, right?

The truth is that small businesses are just as much at risk for cyberattacks. According to Small Business Trends, attacks against small businesses accounted for 43 percent of all cyber attacks in 2015.

The reasons are simple. Small businesses typically have greater financial assets and commercially usable data than an individual, and they tend to have far less security implemented than the large companies. Many small businesses also lack the awareness and training to effectively protect themselves.

In 2016 the Ponemon Institute published the research survey titled The State of Cybersecurity in Small and Medium-Sized, which revealed that 55 percent of participants experienced a cyber-attack in the 12 months prior to the survey. The research went on further to show that half of those attacks resulted in the exposure of customer and employee data to the cybercriminals.

The evidence for why small businesses should invest in cybersecurity to keep their data protected is insurmountable. But figuring out where to start can still feel overwhelming, complicated, and even a little scary. Fortunately, there's a wealth of information to help small business owners just like yourself navigate the ins and outs of arming yourself and your business against cyber threats.