The benefits of running an online business are enormous, but it also makes you vulnerable to cyber threats. In today’s digital world, securing your business is a must. In this post, we’ll review practical, doable steps to bolster the security of your online business and defend it from potential cyber attacks.
Implement Strong Password Policies
One of the first lines of defense is a good password policy. Change the complex password of your employees as the first requirement, and this will bring down the chance of unauthorized access. A mix of uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers, and special characters should be used for the passwords. Even if one’s password is compromised, the best line of defence is to implement multi factor authentication (MFA).
The other thing is to educate your team on the dangers of using the same password across various platforms. Hackers can easily access different parts of your business with password reuse. If you’re using a password manager to store and encrypt passwords, it’s easier for your team to manage unique, complex passwords without the risk of losing or forgetting them.
Keep Your Software and Systems Up to Date
Outdated software is a common target for cybercriminals that can exploit them to gain access to a business’ networks. Mitigating this risk should be done by ensuring your software, operating systems and applications are always up to date. In line with its cybersecurity practice many companies install regular updates and patch schedules to stay ahead of potential threats.
Benefits of automatic updates lie in the fact that they automatically update you with the latest security patches as soon as they are released. Yet, often it is best to manually update the specific systems, this is especially true if your business is running on custom or sensitive applications. Prevention is always better than after the fact. Regular maintenance can help to keep bad guys from uncovering security flaws for you to find out about later.
Use a Dedicated IP Address for Added Security
A dedicated IP address could also be beneficial for businesses who depend on their online presence as it can provide them with an added security aspect. A dedicated IP is not shared with other websites, like shared IP addresses are, and is instead unique to your website. This exclusivity can also be used to decrease the chance of being blacklisted or penalized because another site is being malicious on a shared server.
Moreover, a dedicated IP provides additional security for e-commerce sites processing customers’ sensitive information. Additionally, it makes it easier to set up SSL certificates, which are necessary to encrypt data being sent between your site and users. This means that with a dedicated IP, your business and customers will be better protected and more reliable.
Train Your Team on Cybersecurity Best Practices
When it comes to cyber threats, your employees are usually the first point of contact, so you need to keep training them. Topics such as how to identify phishing attempts, avoiding suspicious downloads, securely handling sensitive data should be part of training. Employees who know the basics of cybersecurity are less likely to be a victim of common cyber threats.
Cyber threats are not static; therefore, training is not a one time event. The regular training sessions help to keep your team on their toes with regular best practice reinforcement. Simulated phishing attacks can be used to test how they respond and to get further insight on potential vulnerabilities in your system.
Limit Access to Sensitive Information
Not all business data is required by everyone in your company. By limiting access to sensitive information you reduce the opportunities for a cyber attack to do damage to the business. A system of access control implements this, by letting you stipulate who can view, edit or share certain kinds of data in accordance with their role in the company.
In addition, implement tools which monitor access to sensitive files and log activity. With these tools, you can get alerted to any strange attempts to get to the most important information. Also advisable are regular audits to look at staff and contractor permissions and remove access for employees who don’t need it, e.g. former staff or contractors.
Regularly Back Up Your Data and Test Recovery Plans
Data backup is a basic practice to make sure your business can get back on its feet after a cyberattack like ransomware or data breaches. The backups should be performed regularly and the copies should be stored in secure offsite locations. This provides you peace of mind knowing that if you ever lose data, your business will find a way to quickly restore operations and get access to vital data.
Testing your data recovery plan is just as important. This step is often ignored by many companies and only come to know too late that their backup system is faulty or recovery time is more than what is expected. Routine testing of recovery protocols helps you identify problems before they impact your business, and helps you refine the process and keep your data available in the event of an emergency.
Ruby Stauffer is a prominent technology blogger known for her insightful analysis and in-depth reviews of the latest tech trends and gadgets. Her blog has become a go-to resource for tech enthusiasts seeking reliable information and expert opinions on the ever-evolving world of technology.