Cybersecurity
Cybersecurity for Small Business
Protect a small business from phishing, scams and ransomware with simple steps for passwords, devices, backups and customer data.
Cybersecurity for Small Business is a free, self-paced online course from EDWartens for small business owners, office managers and the person who looks after IT. It has 9 modules and takes about 5.7 hours, with written notes, a practice task per module, a practical project and a final assessment of 15 questions (pass mark 60%). Learning costs nothing and needs only a free account. The optional EDWartens Certificate of Completion, verifiable by code, is a one-off US$23.99 for you; it is not a vendor credential. Updated 1 November 2026.
- Free
- Beginner
- 5.7 hours
- Self-paced
- Certificate optional
- Lab practice in your browser
No card, no trial. The course is free for good. Certificate US$23.99, optional.
- Who it is for
- Small business owners, office managers and the person who looks after IT
- Jobs
- Roles that use this skill: OT security analyst, security engineer, network engineer and compliance analyst. No course guarantees a job.
- Tools
- None required. You will review the settings of the email, accounts and devices your business already uses. Hardware: none.
- Updated
After this course you can
By the end you will be able to:
- Recognise phishing, business email compromise and common scams
- Set a password, MFA and access policy
- Secure laptops, phones, Wi-Fi and remote access
- Build a backup scheme and prove it with a restore
- Respond to an incident and report it to the authorities
Who it is for, and what you need first
Who it is for
Small business owners, office managers and the person who looks after IT.
Level: Beginner. Beginner. No technical background is needed. Written for owners, managers, office administrators and the person who ends up looking after IT in a business of 5 to 100 people.
What you need
Software: None required. You will review the settings of the email, accounts and devices your business already uses..
Hardware: None..
How this course works
Watch the lessons
Short video lessons, one module at a time, at your own pace.
Read the notes
Open the Reading tab for the written notes and diagrams of the module.
Practise in the 3D labOptional
Try the module in the free 3D lab, in your browser.
Check yourself
Answer the questions to see what stuck before you move on.
Final assessment
Pass the final once you have been through the modules.
Certificate, if you want oneOptional
Optional, with a page anyone can use to verify it.
What you learn
9 modules in order, at your own pace. 5.7 hours of video lessons, with written notes and a practice task in each module.
- 1Start with security10m
- 2The owner's job in cybersecurity31m
- 3Phishing and scams against your business9m
- 4Passwords, MFA and who can log in18m
- 5Devices, Wi-Fi and remote access25m
- 6Ransomware and backups, with lab practice: 22m
- 7Keeping customer data safe11m
- 8When it goes wrong, with lab practice: 3m
Show the other 1 modules
- 9Final Assessment
Practise in the 3D lab
Practise backups and incident response in the OT security lab; the order of steps is the same when a small office is hit by ransomware.
- Backup and recovery: known-good copies and a proved restoreOT security labOpen in the lab (opens in a new tab): Backup and recovery: known-good copies and a proved restore
- Incident drill: a simulated note on an operator screenOT security labOpen in the lab (opens in a new tab): Incident drill: a simulated note on an operator screen
Optional. Skip it whenever you like: it never blocks your progress or your certificate.
Course project, about 8 hours
Securing a 25-person travel agency: asset inventory, risk register, security baseline, incident response plan and staff training record
Act as the person the owner has asked to make a small business safer. Build the asset inventory and score the risks, write the security baseline and a one-page incident plan, then draft the staff training and record it. The sample pack shows each document for a travel agency that handles passports, payments and customer bookings.
- 5documents in the pack
- 5steps to follow
- 5things to hand in
- 8 hof work, at your pace
- Asset inventoryAsset inventory: Norden Travel
- Risk registerCyber risk register: Norden Travel
- ProcedureSecurity baseline: rules for staff and settings for IT
- PlanIncident response plan: one page
- Training recordStaff security training record
The project is optional practice. The certificate needs only the modules and the final assessment.
After the course, your next step
Show what you can do, then keep going in the same field.
A certificate you can verify
Finish the modules and pass the final assessment (15 questions, pass mark 60%) and you can add a certificate with a public verification page. One-off, US$23.99 for you. It is not a vendor credential.
Want a free certificate? Do the matching Free internship: 4 weeks, nothing to buy, with a free certificate of completion.
Cybersecurity (IT and OT)
Eight short weeks of security basics, networks, access control, a security operations centre, industrial (OT) security, IEC 62443 and incident response: notes, diagrams, a few videos and worked exercises. Finish weeks 1 to 4 and the final, then claim a free Internship Completion Certificate with your real dates and study hours, and a QR code anyone can scan to verify it. Training, not employment.
See the internshipMore free courses
Roles that use this skill
- OT security analyst
- Security engineer
- Network engineer
- Compliance analyst
These are the kinds of roles where the skill is used. We make no promise of a job or an interview.
Plain notes
- Free: the whole course, the notes, the practice tasks, the final assessment and support from practising engineers.
- Paid, and optional: the course certificate, and the Engineer-verified internship (the Free internship costs nothing).
- No job promise: the course teaches a skill. It does not place you in a job.
- Lessons by: US Federal Trade Commission (FTC), Professor Messer, National Cybersecurity Alliance (StaySafeOnline), America's SBDC, FTCvideos, StaySafeOnline.org, FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation), WM Regional Cyber Crime Unit, VASBDC. Independent creators; the lessons stream from their own channels. EDWartens wrote the study plan, notes, practice tasks and assessments.
US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) · Professor Messer · National Cybersecurity Alliance (StaySafeOnline) · America's SBDC · Consultants Like Us · FBI · Virginia SBDC · West Midlands Regional Cyber Crime Unit · FTCvideos · StaySafeOnline.org · FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation) · WM Regional Cyber Crime Unit · VASBDC. If you are one of these creators and want a lesson removed or credited differently, write to info@edwartens.com.
Practise what you learn in the free 3D lab
Technical work is judged on what you can do: wiring, commissioning, finding a fault. Doing a task yourself teaches more than watching it a second time, and a lab lets you try it safely before you meet real equipment. It does not replace working on real hardware.
- Practise safely, so a mistake costs nothing.
- The lab checks your work like a site test, so you know when it is right.
- Free, in your browser, with nothing to install.
Why learn with EDWartens
What you get with this course, and what comes after it.
- Free from the first lesson to the final assessment.
- Practice in a free 3D lab in your browser, with nothing to install.
- Video lessons with written notes and a project.
- An optional certificate that anyone can verify online.
- Free internships to keep practising afterwards.
Common questions
Who is the Cybersecurity for Small Business course for?
Owners, managers, office administrators and the person who looks after IT in a small business, whether a shop, clinic, agency, practice or workshop. No technical background is needed.
Many lessons are from US organisations. Does it apply in other countries?
Yes. The FTC, CISA and FBI lessons teach habits that work anywhere. EDWartens' notes add national law and reporting throughout, using India as the worked example: the DPDP Act 2023 and Rules, CERT-In's 6-hour reporting, and the 1930 cyber fraud helpline.
Is this a Security+ course?
No. Some lessons come from Professor Messer's Security+ SY0-701 series because they explain topics clearly, but this course is not exam preparation and is not affiliated with CompTIA. EDWartens has a separate Security+ exam prep course.
Will it make my business compliant with data-protection law?
It explains the main duties and gives you a practical starting point. It is not legal advice; for a business with large volumes of personal data, take advice from a lawyer.
How long does the Cybersecurity for Small Business course take?
About 6 hours of video lessons, notes and practice questions, plus about 8 hours if you do the optional project. You work at your own pace.
What is the project in the Cybersecurity for Small Business course?
You make a 25-person travel agency safer: an asset inventory, a scored risk register, a security baseline, a one-page incident response plan with national reporting routes, and a staff training record. A sample pack shows each document.
Is the Cybersecurity for Small Business course really free?
Yes. Every module, the notes, the project and the final assessment. The only paid item is the certificate, if you want it.
What certificate does the Cybersecurity for Small Business course give?
An EDWartens Certificate of Completion, issued when you pass the final assessment, with a number anyone can verify on our site. It is not a vendor or government certification.
Do I have to use the lab?
No. The lab is optional practice. You can skip it whenever you like, and it never blocks your progress, the final assessment or your certificate.
Is the lab free?
Yes. Every lab level for this course opens in your browser, free, with nothing to install.
What topics does the Cybersecurity for Small Business course cover, module by module?
The Cybersecurity for Small Business course has 9 modules. It opens with "Start with security", goes through "The owner's job in cybersecurity", "Passwords, MFA and who can log in", "Ransomware and backups" and "When it goes wrong" and ends with "Final Assessment". The full list with minutes is under "What you learn" on this page.
What can I do after the Cybersecurity for Small Business course?
After the Cybersecurity for Small Business course: Explain why small businesses are attacked and rank the risks to your own; Lead security as an owner: responsibilities, budget and policies; Recognise phishing, scams and business email compromise, and stop fraudulent payments. These are the practical outcomes the course is written around, and the final assessment of 15 questions checks them.
What software and hardware do I need for the Cybersecurity for Small Business course, and does it cost anything?
For the Cybersecurity for Small Business course, software: None required. You will review the settings of the email, accounts and devices your business already uses. Hardware: none. The course itself is free.
Is the Cybersecurity for Small Business course suitable for me, and what level is it?
Cybersecurity for Small Business is rated beginner. Beginner. No technical background is needed. Written for owners, managers, office administrators and the person who ends up looking after IT in a business of 5 to 100 people. It is written for small business owners, office managers and the person who looks after IT, and takes about 5.7 hours at your own pace.
Which jobs use the skills from the Cybersecurity for Small Business course?
Skills from the Cybersecurity for Small Business course (for example: explain why small businesses are attacked and rank the risks to your own) are used in roles such as OT security analyst, security engineer, network engineer and compliance analyst, and in small business owner work. The course gives you practical evidence of the skill; it does not promise a job, and employers decide on experience and interview.
Start free today
Cybersecurity for Small Business, at your own pace. Add the certificate only if you want one.