As a small business, you probably have so much on your mind that you cannot even think about online safety right now, and for good reason. The odds of success are firmly against you, so you need every ounce of energy to grow and make a profit.
However, what you might not realise is that online safety attributes to that success. With the right safety strategy, you can incorporate a solid and safe foundation for your business to expand. Without it, you could end up on the scrapheap with the rest of the failed small businesses. Here’s how to cover your business with regards to online safety.
Who and What?
Make sure you know who and what makes you vulnerable from a business standpoint. A little tip – your employees are the who. Employees are very blasé about safety and often leave you open to attack. For example, they might create an email account on the server. No big deal, right? It’s no big deal as long as said email account is secure. Hackers can attack the weak points – the what – and gain access to your whole server.
Strong Passwords
As a result, you should implement a strong password policy. A lot of small businesses tell their employees that they have to make a strong password so as to limit the damage. Some even create the passwords for them and hand them out on pieces of paper to ensure the passwords hit the brief.
Secure Every Part of Your Server
Another lesson to learn from the who and the what is to secure every part of your server, no matter how insignificant it seems. You already know about email accounts and their weakness, but what about the other areas? One area that needs addressing is your Wi-Fi router. Wi-Fi routers are notoriously weak because they are often left unattended. Some small businesses don’t even encrypt them, which is the biggest mistake you could make. Again, they are another portal to your entire server, so they need treating with respect.
Know the Rules
With regards to how you store information, there are rules and regulations you have to follow. If you don’t, fines and lawsuits could cripple your business. Because of recent data breaches and hacking attacks, governments around the world are taking action. In America, they have the know your customer rules of the Patriot Act while Britain has the Data Protection Act. Wherever your company is based, make sure you are storing and handing out information legally. Otherwise, the consequences will be dire.
Encrypt Data
Encryption might be part of your legal duty depending on your company’s base. However, even if it is not, it is an incredibly effective tool to prevent online cybercrime. If a hacker does get access to your data and sensitive information, they cannot willfully open it with the encryption. Hopefully, the encryption will stop them from doing any damage whatsoever. At the very least, it should slow them down so you can respond and fight back.
Follow the above and your small business will be a lot safer and successful as a result.
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