With the advent of the digital era and increasing number of online businesses, security has become a major concern. There are many examples where small to big companies have faced cyber attacks and threats of hacking. Owing to this digital defense is the solution that companies should take over and dedicatedly work on. We understand that this often becomes a challenge for a small and medium-sized businesses/enterprise. But, often due to lack of resources and certain security parameters small and medium sized business lacks the higher standards of security. No worries, the solution that this article will be discussing is economical and quite effective. These will certainly help the small business to upgrade their security tips and stress on more cost effective solution.
So what are the issues that a small business owner faces
We know it is a dream for an entrepreneur or a small business owner to establish its own business and to take it to heights? You invest a lot of money, time and energy to flourish your business. But at times we usually forget to ponder thoughts on the risk factors that might get your business into trouble. This put your business and confidential data at risk. When small businesses undergo a business data loss from a hacking attack, then 60 % of them shut down. And when security threats come in countless forms, it becomes a big security risk to your company and for your employees.
Let’s take a rundown of few important security tips that the small business owners should pursue in order to keep your website and data secure.
Do not keep your sensitive data open for hackers, try to protect it as much as possible by extra shields of protection: Needless to say that every online business has a lot of confidential and important data that is collected via a chain of networks. Here it doesn’t matter that what is the size of your business. For example, a company deals in tax and lot of financial data then all the sensitive data should be aligned and protected in a proper format and devices like – hard disks, pen drive or any other external hard drives attached to a laptop or PC, moreover, it should be detached when not required. So, here if your data device is detached from your PC or laptop when not in use then a criminal cannot breach the security of your website or steal or delete the data.
It is always advisable to use strong passwords:
For better security of your website, it is always recommended to use password combination that is very strong consisting of special characters, symbols, numeric, upper case and lower case, alphabets and much more. Sadly, at times people choose very generic passwords like date of birth, birth year, date of the anniversary, or just the numbers. But with this, people often forget that these passwords are their own personal data and records that can be at high risk anytime for the hackers. Also, do not change your password frequently as it may lead to even more threats. So, terribly weak passwords are easy targets for hackers. Once the hackers get into the system then the whole server or the website is on the attack.
Scrutinize and identify which information should be kept and which one should go to the bin:
Start by asking a question that is it really important information? Should I keep it? Do you really need that data? This question will prompt the customer or the user to know whether he or she should keep or collect the information or not. At times, the regulators from outside control your data, as it happens with Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard. To avoid manipulation and other threats from criminals you need to have strong hold-on your data and it should left open on your server in any digital form.
Data backup is utmost important for better protection:
You would never want your customers or users to blame you for not protecting their data, if at all it happens then it is you who are targeted for their loss of data. Thus, it is recommended to be on a safer side and protect your data with regular backup and also install a good malware that safeguards your internal computer data and protects from stealing. What’s worse, this malware may infect your website with the virus even if your data is well protected. Be aware and careful.
Make sure your cyber security issues are not just technical but it’s a business threat as well:
We know that you have already invested a huge amount on settling up your business. But to make sure that your business is running aptly, you need to have certain security features installed on your website. For example, you should have SSL certificates installed that will prevent any harmful activity on your website. You can take EV SSL certificate that will further give you enhanced security by offering a green padlock sign on your browser address bar. They are not very pricey, they come cheap and are very easy to install. Make sure to get an SSL certificate for your website from a trusted vendor that has authenticated certificate from – CA (certificate authorities).
It is always great to educate your employees and make them ready for crisis situation:
For any business, it is very important that the employees are well educated and learned on the cyber threats and the hacking problems that they might face when working online. To ensure this it is mandatory to educate the employees about the risks of clicking on the unwanted attachments or any web ads flashing on their screens. These links can be highly dangerous and spammy that allows a riot kind of situation and mayhem on your files, eventually making them accessible to the hackers.
All the above-mentioned points are quintessential for a small sized business to make it secure and safe from malicious activities, in turn making the business grow.