Cybersecurity is no longer a luxury or “nice to have.” It’s a critical part of doing business even in the earliest stages. But for startups and small businesses, it can be tough to know where to begin without a dedicated IT or security team.

To demystify the process, we sat down with Stacey Robinson, founder of GP Tech Advisors, to talk through the essential steps that growing businesses can take to build smart, scalable, and secure foundations for their technology.

Q: Stacey, for startups and small businesses that are just beginning their cybersecurity journey, where do you recommend they start?

Stacey:

Start with a risk-based mindset. It doesn’t have to be complicated, just take stock of what’s most important in your business. That might be customer data, financial records, or even access to your cloud infrastructure. Ask yourself: “What would really hurt if it were compromised?” Once you identify your key assets, you can prioritize protections around them.

Even an informal risk assessment is a great place to begin. You want to find a balance that protects your company without slowing down your momentum. Cybersecurity doesn’t have to be bulky or rigid. In the early stages, it’s really about being smart and intentional.

Q: What are the most important first steps to take when implementing cybersecurity measures?

Stacey:

The basics go a long way. First, enable multi-factor authentication (MFA) on everything: email, cloud services, and admin tools. It’s one of the simplest ways to block most common attacks.

Next, make sure everyone on your team is using strong, unique passwords, ideally managed through a password manager. If you can go passwordless, even better. Also, encrypt all company laptops and devices, especially if your team is remote or hybrid.

And of course, keep up with software patches and updates. Most breaches happen because of known vulnerabilities that just weren’t fixed. It’s not flashy, but it’s highly effective.

Q: What about for companies that are building software or working in tech? How can they make sure their development is secure?

Stacey:

Security has to be baked into your development process from the beginning. That means using version control like Git and making sure access to your repositories is tightly managed.

Use automated tools to scan for vulnerabilities in your code. You don’t need a huge budget for this. There are great open-source and low-cost options out there. Also, keep your software dependencies up to date. Outdated libraries are an easy way in for attackers.

Another important area is the open-source software packages that you are using and the associated license terms.  Most are fine, but there are some open-source licenses that can put your IP ownership at risk and this will be important for your business and any future investors.

Finally I always remind clients to never hardcode credentials into your code. It’s tempting for convenience, but it’s risky. Use environment variables or a secure secrets manager. It’s worth the extra effort.

Q: Access management can get tricky as a company grows. What’s the best approach?

Stacey:

You want to avoid the trap of giving everyone access to everything just because it’s easier in the short term. Instead, follow the principle of least privilege and only give people access to what they need to do their job.

Role-based access controls are really helpful. When access is tied to a role instead of an individual, it’s much easier to manage changes when people move around or leave. Also, have a process in place to immediately remove access when someone exits the company. It’s a simple step that can prevent a lot of issues later on.

Final Thoughts:

Stacey:

Cybersecurity doesn’t need to be expensive or complicated at the beginning. What matters most is that you’re thinking about it early, building habits that scale, and staying proactive instead of reactive. Over time, you can layer in more advanced tools and policies, but the key is to get the fundamentals right first.