As a small business owner or influencer who has worked tirelessly to build your company from scratch, you will do everything to protect it. So just as you wouldn’t leave the doors of your business building wide open, you should do the same to protect your business online.
It is essential to find ways to protect your business and customers online, especially when recent Statista data suggests an increase in online attacks. Here are four ways to ensure the safety of your business online.
- Avoid phishing emails
Phishing attacks are a common cyberthreat faced by businesses as it accounts for nearly 50% of US cyberattacks. The phishing emails try to manipulate email recipients into giving out sensitive information or trick them into downloading malware on their PCs. Although phishing emails can be targeted, scammers usually send out thousands of emails, hoping to receive a handful of replies. Fortunately, many email providers offer filtering systems that scan emails and filter any suspicious contents to your spam folder for further actions. However, it would help if you checked your spam or spam folder once in a while since the filtering system can be overzealous sometimes and unfairly filter your important emails.
- Secure your payments
Today scammers are constantly looking for vulnerabilities to gain access to systems and steal data. However, shoppers also want to enjoy a smooth and efficient experience when completing their transactions via their preferred payment method. For this reason, it is best to use the best online security practices to offer an excellent checkout experience for your customers. Since most shoppers use credit cards and other alternative payment methods, it is best to use credit card processing systems that allow you to securely verify payment details online, in your store, and on mobile devices.
- Have a security plan
It would be best to have a solid cybersecurity plan to keep your business moving forward. This security plan should have an element of prevention, resolution, and restitution. The plan should focus on identifying policies and processes to minimize your chances of attack, determining the resources required to remedy a threat, and properly preparing to handle the consequences of a breach to both your client and employee data. To boost the efficiency of your cybersecurity practices, inform your staff about online security policies, update your system’s software, install a firewall, and regularly backup your data. It can also be useful to have an action plan over mobile devices, secure your Wi-Fi and restrict authorization to install software on your system.
- Train your staff
Your staff is the primary target of cybercriminals since they handle sensitive business and client information daily. For this reason, you want to ensure your employees understand and know how to properly maintain their security and that of business and clients. It can be useful to train your staff to keep their computers clean, best ways to set their passwords, and backup their work. Likewise, you might want to train your staff on the best email practices and how to monitor their computers for any suspicious activities. When properly trained, your staff can be your first set of guards against external threats.
Thanks for reading and y’all stay dandy.
-Diego
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