The 10-Minute Identity Audit: A Small Business Cybersecurity Checklist

Why Identity Management Matters

Keeping track of logins is one of the most challenging cybersecurity issues for small businesses. Imagine you hired an intern last summer and just now realized their account is still active. Or you gave a contractor admin rights to your social media, and now suddenly you can’t log in yourself. Even if nothing bad has happened yet, these accounts still expose your business to unnecessary risk.

For small businesses, identity management basically means keeping track of who has access to your systems, making sure login accounts are current and secure, and removing access when it’s no longer needed. Hackers love to take advantage of weak or forgotten logins, and they target small businesses because owners rarely have the time or resources to stay on top of it all.

The primary reason for this is that keeping track of logins has gotten harder than ever. Businesses use dozens of accounts for computers, phones, accounting tools, websites, social media, and cloud apps. Some need only a password, others use MFA with text codes or fingerprints, and now there are even passkeys (see our previous blog, Passwords, Passkeys and Pitfalls) that replace passwords altogether. These login security options can be confusing for small businesses. And that’s before you even consider what happens once someone is logged in.

That’s the other big risk: what someone has the ability to do after they log in. Can they delete data, see private information, or make major changes? It’s hard to decide how much access each person really needs, so many businesses give everyone more than they should. That may seem fine, until it’s not. Someone with too much access may even accidentally bring down an entire system.

So what can you do? Start with a quick access audit. It won’t fix everything, but it will show you where the risks are and get you moving in the right direction.

The 10-Minute Identity Audit

You don’t need fancy tools or an IT department to tighten up identity management. In just 10 minutes, you can spot most of the common risks that hackers (or even former employees) love to exploit. This simple cybersecurity checklist for small businesses can highlight some of the most common risks.

Step 1: Make a quick list of your systems

Think email, file storage, accounting, payroll, CRM, website, social media, and any cloud apps you use to run the business. Any system or software that requires a login. The goal is to see the full picture of all the systems you use and what accounts are in each of them.

Step 2: Validate who needs accounts

Look at the user lists for each system. Do you see anyone who shouldn’t be there? Former employees, contractors, or test accounts? Disable those right away, and if nothing breaks delete them.

Step 3: Review access levels

For each active account, check what they can do. Do they need full administrator rights, or just enough to do their daily job? Scale back access where it makes sense.

Step 4: Check Your Login Security

Make sure accounts with sensitive data have multi-factor authentication (MFA) turned on. That means a password plus a code, text, or fingerprint. If a system doesn’t support MFA, use a very strong, unique password at a minimum. Protecting accounts with MFA is one of the most effective small business cybersecurity tools you can use.

Step 5: Clean up and repeat

Remove old accounts, adjust access, and write down what you changed. Set yourself a reminder to do this check every quarter or whenever someone leaves your business.

That’s it - a simple 10-minute check that can save you from a major headache down the road. Just remember, it’s not about perfection, it’s about awareness. Once you know who has access to what, you’re in control again. The first time you do it might take a little extra time as you gather all the information, but after that, you can make it part of a regular routine that will take no time at all.

Extra Credit

If you’ve got more time to focus on this, here are a few easy upgrades that make identity management even stronger:

• Keep a simple list of all your business systems and who has access. It doesn’t need to be fancy; even a spreadsheet works, but remember this is very sensitive information, so keep it safe.

• Use a password manager. Tools like 1Password, LastPass, or Dashlane make it easier to use strong, unique passwords without having to remember them all.

• Turn on login alerts. Many systems (like email and banking apps) can notify you if someone signs in from a new device or location. Those alerts are like an early warning system.

• Remove “shared” accounts. If you’ve got one login everyone uses for, say, Instagram or QuickBooks, switch to individual accounts or shared access features. It makes accountability (and cleanup) much easier.

Security Moments was built to help give small businesses a fighting chance against cyber criminals. Please visit our YouTube channel for more free content and to view our Practical Moments, which provide real-world tips and recommendations on how you can keep your business safe and secure. And please take a look at our Cybersecurity Training and Awareness product as well as our cybersecurity guides to help make sure your business is prepared for your Security Moments.