The new relief bill, signed into effect in the waning days of 2020, earmarked another $325 billion toward the successful PPP, for which individual companies are eligible for up to $2 million in advantaged loan amounts. As with previous rounds of PPP loans, any borrowed funds are eligible for loan forgiveness when spent toward qualifying business expenses. However, the new bill also allows for those forgiven funds to be deducted as regular small business expenses, something the original program did not include.

Another major theme that has only become more pronounced in this time of pandemic is the role the internet plays in driving sales and promoting awareness of a business. Ecommerce sales increased by almost one-third between 2019 and 2020 and, when excluding gas and auto sales, represents one-fifth of all retail transactions.

However, setting up an online storefront and bolstering your business’ shipping and logistics framework is only one component of how the sales landscape has changed. Now more than ever, small and local businesses need to have a compelling online presence to increase awareness of their products and services. This could mean working with online marketing and media organizations like Alphabet’s (NASDAQ:GOOG) Google Ads or Facebook (NASDAQ:FB) Ads to provide targeted marketing to their online properties. It could also mean simply maintaining a strong social media presence and responding to customers or potential customers through these channels, which is increasingly becoming the primary way in which consumers gain a sense of a business’ products, service and overall reputation.

As more businesses move their operations online, protecting those digital assets will become critical in surviving the rapidly growing threat of cybercrime. Not only did last year see the highest volume of cybercrime activity, approaching almost $1 trillion in lost or stolen funds, but the final weeks of 2020 also saw the largest cyberattack to date waged against several U.S. government agencies.

This trend of increased scale and sophistication of cybercrime only promises to become more pronounced as a greater number of transactions and business operations move online. Small businesses are more susceptible to the existential threat of these kinds of attacks, with roughly 60% of companies forced to shut down in the months following a cyberattack.

If it’s not already a part of your annual budget, business owners should factor in a regular audit of their digital framework with the help of specialized I.T. cybersecurity contractors. Additionally, businesses should also look to cloud network providers as the cheapest and most secure way of protecting sensitive data, particularly in an age when many companies’ workforces are remote and accessing centralized networks from a variety of potentially insecure networks.

Finally, in the midst of the rapid and large scale changes that have taken place over the previous 12 months, one change for the positive within the realm of small business is that consumers are more aware than ever of the importance of local businesses to their communities. As storefronts were shuttered and long-standing local institutions failed, consumers recognized that the future of their towns and cities rested on the resilience of the businesses that support them, both monetarily and culturally.

Take this episode from business owners in Toronto, in which a vintage resale shop owner created an online list via Instagram for other local retailers. The list quickly grew to a directory of more than 4,000 businesses that were able to rally together and coordinate an online message that consumers avoid national brands and shop at the businesses within the group.

The preceding post was written and/or published as a collaboration between Benzinga’s in-house sponsored content team and a financial partner of Benzinga. Although the piece is not and should not be construed as editorial content, the sponsored content team works to ensure that any and all information contained within is true and accurate to the best of their knowledge and research. This content is for informational purposes only and not intended to be investing advice.