Every business worth its salt is online these days, but making sure you’re secure and safe while trading online is a big concern for every entrepreneur. Whether you’re a start-up, small local business or booming conglomerate, Internet security is vital to both your reputation and data. But online security doesn’t need to be a complicated or expensive issue to deal with; just some simple common sense backed up with some foolhardy procedures can make all the difference.
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Create a backup plan
You’ve got your small business off the ground and working; now you need to make sure that if the worst does happen, you’ve got a plan. As a business owner, you need to ensure sure that all sensitive data can be accessed in case of an emergency. Backing up online using services like the Cloud and on external devices will ensure that, whether through a cyber breakdown or a fire in the office, everything is still safe.
Train your staff
People are often the weak link when it comes to security, so ensuring that all staffed have security training will limit this threat. Often, hackers gain information about a company using social hacking methods, which usually means tricking one employee to give up sensitive information. As a business owner, making sure every single member of your team is well educated in this will be priceless to you.
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Implement a password policy
Password hijacking is one of the most common ways that small businesses can get stuffed, and is often caused by people using weak passwords for a long period of time. By keeping this password and not changing it, there is a huge increase in risk when it comes to security. The solution is simple and just requires that all employees change their passwords frequently.
For example, you could implement a policy where all staff must change their passwords every four months, have at least ten characters in upper and lower case and include numbers and punctuation. You can also encourage the use of a random password generator so that the passwords used throughout the company are always unique.
Know your clients and customers
There’s a lot of fraud going on out there on the internet, and even though Captcha codes are great at sifting out the robots, it’s sometimes impossible to know if the person you’re dealing with is who they say they are. Whether you deal with remote accounts or in retail, knowing who is on the other end of an email or transaction is another way to keep your internet security high. A company such as Netverify ensures error-proof image capture to identify customers, just by asking them to take a photograph of their ID. Simple, easy and no hassle for your new client or customer!
Secure your WiFi network
Many small businesses use WiFi networks without thinking about security. This can be a problem if you have sensitive data as it makes it easy for hackers to access data through an unsecured network. Ensure that your network is wifi protected and that it uses the highest encryption possible to avoid any mishaps.
