Securing Your Business Online and Offline

Being online for your business means big money. Last year alone, tens of millions were spent through platforms like Google shopping alone. So being online for your business can mean an increased revenue. It can also mean that you can reach potential new customers, as well as provide customer service, send email newsletters, and build up a search engine ranking. But as there are so many businesses online now, the threats online are higher and higher. Last year alone, stats showed that business cybercrime was up by 63% on the year before. So it is something that can a real threat to you and your business.

It can be daunting to know where to start and what to do, as you want to keep your site secure, as well as keeping staff and customer details safe and secure. So here are some steps to follow to get you on the right track for keeping your business secure.

Passwords

It might sound simple but if you have the same password for everything, and it is as basic as your mother’s maiden name, then anyone that knows you can get onto your system. So you and your team should be using a variety of different passwords. Mix up the letters and numbers that you use in your passwords, as well as the symbols or capitalization of letters. This should be included in a security policy for everyone in the business to know about, as well as the need to change passwords regularly.

Secure Site

As well as having a secure website, that is backed up and protected through malware platforms, it is also a good idea to have a secure place where physical data and documents are stored. A locked cabinet is an obvious choice, as long as the key is stored securely. But think carefully about security doors and windows and what might be necessary. Even if they are stored at your home, you need to keep things confidential and safe, especially with the general data protection regulation (GDPR) laws changing in many parts of the world next month.

Preventing Viruses

There can be many ways to get a virus on a computer that can infect it and take the information. Anything from downloading a file that you presumed would be OK, to inserting a USB stick into the computer that a client or friend has given you. So being aware of what to look out for is key. Check who senders are before you open files, as well as having the right malware software on your computers. Keep open communication about this kind of thing with your staff too.

Monitoring

If you have all employees on board and they can help to monitor theirs and others activity. It is important to check logs too, to make sure you can see if there is anything that looks a little untoward. You will be able to spot if there are any issues with staff easily, and can deal with it when it comes up.