The cybersecurity concerns for online business owners will continue to rise throughout the 21st century. The more connected every facet of a business is to the internet, and the more you attempt to automate and leverage technology in pursuit of efficiencies and cost savings, the more exposed you will be. With that in mind, below are some of the most important cybersecurity considerations for your online business.
Wi-Fi and Connection Rules
Keep in mind that if you are an online business with remote employees, they will most likely be accessing company data and networks from locations that you have little to no control over. If you have digital nomads working for you, you may also find that you are communicating and sharing data and information with people connecting from places like cafes, airports, and shared workspaces.
Additionally, if you work with third parties like SEO agencies, they might be located overseas. If you searched something like SEO Brisbane to find your digital marketing pros, you can rest assured that you are getting a company that knows about cybersecurity best practices. Other places around the world, however, are not as cyber secure or safe.
Wi-Fi is a popular way for employees to access company data, but it also introduces security risks. A wireless network should be secured using a variety of approaches, including difficult-to-guess passwords. It is especially critical to change the administrator passwords on wireless devices from the factory defaults. It is also possible to set wireless access points such that they do not broadcast the network’s Service Set Identifier (SSID), which is a good way to keep hackers out of the network.
Company-Wide Policy and Procedures
Even if a company does not have employees, it still needs to have a security policy. A standardized set of principles ensures that everyone approaches security in the same way, which is critical for providing accountability when a security breach happens. A security policy should include specific procedures for each sort of data, such as personal information and financial information about the company. The policy must also outline the consequences of failing to follow these procedures.
In order to make sure that this policy and these procedures are followed to the best of everyone’s ability, consider providing training. This is in recognition of the fact that employee ignorance and negligence constitutes the biggest cybersecurity threat to businesses. It is not only in your best interests as an online business owner, but the fair thing to do to equip people with the skills and information they need (including yourself) in order to stay on top of cybersecurity concerns.
Password Management and Protection
Everyone who has access to a company’s technology and data should think carefully about their password and ensure that all devices – mobile phones, tablets, and PCs – are password protected. It should be simple to remember but difficult to guess. Users should never reveal their passwords to anyone, and they should create a unique, strong password for each system. Consider using a good password manager and, even better, a randomized password generator to make it harder for thieves to guess. Another important component of password management and protection as an online business owner is staying up to date on the latest phishing techniques.
Data Management
Encrypting confidential data that could affect an employee or the organization itself if obtained by a hacker should be part of data protection policies. A solution that manages data access rights can also aid in the prevention of sensitive data disclosure. Employees should also be trained to recognize internet scams and to reject social engineering methods.
Disaster Response and Recovery Plan
There are three main reasons why a business needs a disaster response and recovery plan: to protect its revenue, to protect its reputation and mitigate customer flight, and to protect as much data as possible. Do these three things well, and you can greatly reduce the impact of a cyberattack, including things like the increasingly prevalent threat of ransomware.
Doing business online means recognizing and, to a large degree, accepting the fact that you are putting yourself in harm’s way. Cybercrime is skyrocketing, and businesses of all sizes are at risk. One only needs to briefly scan the headlines from the past couple of years to see the damage being wrought by cybercriminals online. Part of good business, therefore, is being prepared for what could reasonably be described as an inevitability in this day and age.
Conclusion
As an online business owner, it is incumbent upon you to make sure that you are taking into consideration all of the most important cybersecurity threats and the best practices for mitigating and managing them. Keep the above recommendations and realities in mind and make sure your livelihood is as safe and secure as it can be from the mounting cyber threats of the 21st century.
