It does not matter if you have a huge large-scale multi-million-dollar organization or a humble start-up; the fact is that web threats, data breaches, and online data theft is a big problem that plagues the internet and businesses. Suppose you, as a business owner, do not have the proper security and procedures in operation. In that case, you leave your business vulnerable to online threats such as cyber-attacks and data thefts which are not only irreparable but can seriously dent your company’s image and goodwill.
Cyber threats such as a data breach could doom your company or business. According to a 2015 Symantec Internet Security Threat Report, around 60% of all targeted cyberattacks were aimed at small and mid-sized businesses. It is common to believe that data breaches are mainly caused by outsiders hacking into the system, but the truth is that multiple loopholes could be exploited to steal data. The reason why it is not just important but vital to protect company data from hackers and other sources like your very own employees!
As a business owner, there are quite a few preventive and precautionary steps that you can take to help keep your company’s data safe and secure from cyber threats. This article will do exactly that by sharing some tips and tricks to keep data safe and secure.
1. Do not ignore educating your employees
Employees’ inexperience or casualness causes a majority of the data security breaches in business today. Please make sure everyone in your business or company cognizes how important company security policy is and does not take it lightly. Educating your employees about the threat that looms on the internet is the first step you can take to ensure the safety of your business’s data. While this may sound very basic, you, as a business owner, need to action this immediately because workers and employees may and a lot of time DO fall victims to scams, phishing, or unintentionally exposing sensitive data as they work on mobile devices, especially when they’re connected to a public network which unsecured. Therefore, have your employees go through the security procedures and make sure they follow protocol when they are working.
2. Use SSL certificates to keep your company’s data secure
SSL is short for Secure Socket Layer. It is an encryption protocol that encrypts sessions between clients and servers and secures them from attackers or hackers who may be unlawfully trying to interrupt it and get in. This makes it problematic for unsolicited entities to get any important data, giving a rather safe experience for not just you but for your users as well. An SSL certificate forms a secure channel between the server and your user’s browser. The entire procedure is protected behind the scenes by not upsetting the online experience of the users. There are other benefits of employing SSL certificates by giving your business some well-deserved credibility online. Often, your online visitors may not enter a website that does not have the lock icon before the website’s address link and if the HTTPS application protocol is missing. They usually are presented with an “insecure” warning message by the browser. However, this scenario will not arise by installing an SSL certificate, and the user can trust your website and, hence, your business.
Having one SSL certificate when you have more than one domain or multiple subdomains simply won’t cut it. What you need in this case is a wildcard SSL certificate. A wildcard certificate is a sole certificate with a wildcard character in the domain name field, which allows the certificate to secure multiple first-level sub-domain names. Wildcard SSL certificate allows you to secure websites that have multiple level one sub-domains. Suppose your business has more than one domain or multiple level-one subdomains such as payments, blog, and product collection pages. In that case, it is advisable to go for a cost-effective cheap wildcard SSL certificate that eliminates multiple cert management hassles.
3. Strong passwords mean strong security
Many online businesses are susceptible to attacks by password hacking, and it’s a major issue. Passwords that are very simple, predictable, straightforward, and easy to guess can be effortlessly broken into. An easy to guess or weak password makes it easier for attackers to break into the users’ accounts, which could lead to fraudulent transactions rising to disputes with your business. To prevent such unpleasant circumstances from happening, your passwords must be strong and complex, like a combination of upper- and lowercase letters, numbers, and special characters.
4. Don’t forget to back that data up!
Several threats like Trojans, viruses, malware, phishing scams, ransomware, or cyber-attacks can directly go after your precious data. This means having all your essential data in one place without any backups is hazardous because if an attack does happen, you lose everything in a blink of an eye. This is the reason why you need to frequently back up all the important files and data about your business in a place that is secure and, more importantly, separate from the existing system that you might be using daily. Think of it as insurance for your data. Data backups help reinstate and restore data after files that might have undergone damage or deletion in the event of an attack or data breach. Database backups are crucial for safeguarding against data loss and data theft that can unsettle your business operations.
5. Having an early warning system is the best bet
People are always trying to commit fraud online; hence it becomes important to set up a system alert that notifies you when a user seems suspicious during their online transactions. Such programs and systems function like an early warning system or an advance caution before fraud happens and allow you to take whatever pre-emptive measures you can take to evade it. Also, you should always check that the order recipient’s name and details match with a credit card or debit card to avoid fraudulent transactions.
6. Create clear limitations as to who can access the data
Data security starts with limiting access both internally as well as externally. This means you must make clear and conscious decisions limiting the people from having access to the information. In addition, you need to clarify who has the authority to access the data. By limiting access to data means there is a lower number of weak points for your business. Every point of access which is essentially wherever somebody materially logs into a data analytics tool, is a weakness point. Since your businesses’ data is valuable, there would always be someone with malicious intent to get their hands on it. Threats like cybercriminals, corporate espionage, resentful employees, or maybe a simple human mistake. With such risks, it is usually a good call to protect your data by authentication and encryption and restricting access. Having fewer employees and staff who have access to the data also decreases the risk of internal data abuse and breach. The bottom line is, not everybody in your business needs access to the data, so be mindful of who to limit the data to.
7. Finally, outline your security features and scrutinize it
The security of your businesses’ data depends on the tools you use to safeguard it. If you’re using some software that takes care of just some of your data, but the said tool isn’t safe and secure, it ideally means that the organization’s data is vulnerable to an attack. Therefore, it is prudent to evaluate and analyze the tool’s security standards before you, as a business owner goes ahead and invest a substantial amount of capital in it only to realize your data is still susceptible to attacks. If the tool you are using is not secure or does not have the basic security features, your data would also not be safe. So, make sure to have a minimum standard or a bar when it comes to choosing a tool.
Conclusion
To sum up, we have learned the importance of educating employees about cybersecurity best practices, find best ssl certificate service provider and invest in the right kind of SSL certificate, other security measures. Implementing these religiously will help keep your company’s data safe and secure.
