Keeping Your Business Protected Online: Five Easy Tips

Security is a key priority when you run a business, especially online. Cyber-crime is an issue that is becoming more prevalent, and hackers are continuously developing ways to steal information from your business. Information that gets into the wrong hands can be damaging, so keeping your business protected online is essential. If you are wondering where to begin, here are five easy tips to get started.

• Robust Anti-Virus Software – Make sure your anti-virus software is up to the job, and has all the features you require to protect your business. Threats can come from different places online, such as through emails, malware, and SQL attacks. This is when a multi-layered protection system comes into its own, such as from Sonicwall.

• Regular Updates – You should always update anti-virus software regularly, as new developments make it better able to keep up with changing forms of online threat.

• Encrypt Websites – Encryption is used to make the data that is stored by your website undecipherable. It does this by turning it into an abstract code, and the only way to make it readable is if another party has the ‘key’ that unlocks the code. Encryption is added protection that can prevent hackers from getting access to sensitive information. Your web hosting company will be able to give you advice on encrypting your website, if you are unsure where to start.

• Password Security – Have you noticed that when you are asked to create a password these days, you are often required to choose one that has over a certain amount of letters, must have at least one capital, use numbers as well as characters? There is a good reason for this. Hackers that try to get access to password protected areas may try combinations of common words, such as Password1. Easy to guess passwords will be quick to overcome, whereas having a broad range within a password is more difficult to crack.

• Regular Back-Ups – When you back-up your files, you are saving yourself any hassle and potential irreversible damage, should your website or network be compromised. Ransom attacks are one form of cyber-attack that uses malware to harm your website and software you may be running. It is called ‘ransom’ attack, because a hacker will demand a sum of money for the malware to be removed. Having your files backed up to an external source means that you don’t have to bend to the demands of a ransom attack, saving you time consuming and costly work.

Keeping your business protected online is a key part of security, not just from the initial threat of cyber-crime. When done correctly, online protection helps your business to grow. This is because a well-protected business is trustworthy to its customers, because they know that the information you hold about them is safe. With ever more sophisticated ways that hackers use to gain access to information, keeping up-to-date with the best ways of protecting your business is a must.