business

A business owner, you do your best to protect it, don’t you?

By Lesley Vos

Cybersecurity tools and services are on the rise because online plagiarism is no longer a big-business problem only. According to the International Data Corporation research, organizations will have spent $101.6 billion on cybersecurity services by 2020, which is a 38% increase if compared to $73.7 billion spent in 2016.

Gather has different numbers: they expect $113 billion spent on security by 2020, compared to $90 billion in 2017.

In any case, the issue remains topical for business owners. Hackers steal business information, jobbish competitors steal content from websites, criminals steal credit cards information, viruses kill data – all they make you worry about steps to take for business protection.

But what exactly can you do?

How to protect your business website

Your business website security is critical, especially if it’s on WordPress. Allowing to mix plug-ins and themes customizing a website whatever you want, this platform is yet sensitive to malicious attacks.

It doesn’t mean you shouldn’t use it for business. All you need to do is consider few aspects while building a website.

Here they are:

  • Choose a security-focused provider. Pay attention to where you host the website: a host should provide an integrated environment for online safety.
  • Update a software. Security holes in a server, CMS, or operating systems are easy for hackers to find if you ignore regular updates. Don’t forget about backups: create them on a regular basis.
  • Monitor malware all the time. Make sure your anti-virus and anti-hacking tools check the folders and files of your website carefully to scan and remediate all weaknesses. And install a powerful firewall on your business network.
  • Use complex passwords. Seems obvious, but many ignore this advice. Choose a truly secure password for your business website admin panel: a long one, a mix of numbers and letters, and with specific characters. Avoid easy-to-guess passwords a la your dog’s or kid’s name: if you think no one knows them, you are wrong. Also, make sure you change user names and passwords every 90 days.
  • Protect your content from plagiarism. Make sure to register business writings accordingly and monitor it via tools that spot plagiarism so you could see if anyone copied it.
  • Use an HTTPS protocol, especially if your business is a store or you request visitors to share personal information. This protocol makes it safe to provide sensitive data at the website.

How to protect your business information

Whether big or small, your business attracts hackers, identity thieves, and scammers right along.

Yes, it’s quite overwhelming to be a business owner in that respect, but if you care about security – you’ll make sure to take these several steps to protect business information or at least manage the risks of being hacked.

What to do:

  • Create a separate network for payments. It will minimize the likelihood of cybercriminals success: often, they hack your employees’ computers via email and therefore get access to all the information; but if you put business payments on a separate network and give access to one or two individuals only – the things will go better.
  • Consider cloud-based services. For small business owners with about ten employees, it could be the best decision to subscribe to a reliable cloud service and allow them to control online security.
  • Use encryption. It will help to protect your customers’ financial information during transactions at a business website. You can use proved to be true tools for that.
  • Be thoughtful. Remember: you are a target. Don’t hurry up to click all hyperlinks you get in emails, and make sure to verify them. Also, nurture a culture of awareness among employees, and never cut corners on professional system administrators who will help to set up everything right.
  • Protect Wi-Fi. Change the default settings of your router, and consider WPA2 method for more security. Also, use VPN when access Wi-Fi in a public location: it will mask your passwords and provide a secure browsing.
  • Watch employees. Do you know that 60% of all security breaches occur within companies, behind their firewalls? Sure, it doesn’t mean your all employees are thieves; but it would be wise to give them access to only the information they need for work. Don’t let them reach data systems, and teach them to lock up computers when they aren’t in use.

Never ride your security with a slack rein. Create a strong foundation step by step, take even tiny risks into consideration – and your small business will flourish online with no plagiarism and identity thefts behind your back.

Lesley Vos is a seasoned web writer who helps peers develop the confidence and skills for better articles creation and promotion. Visit her blog to discover the world of plagiarism-free content, and don’t hesitate to follow Lesley on Twitter.

Cybersecurity stock photo by BeeBright/Shutterstock