Over the last few years, the media has reported multiple data leaks, hacks and phishing scams, all targeted at big name websites and organisations. Smaller businesses are even more prone to these attacks as they don’t have teams of people working on data security measures and protocols.
This is why it is so important for startups to be educated in the smaller things they can do in-house, to protect both their sensitive data and that of their customers. By properly educating your employees and taking small steps in the security of your site, you can help slash the odds of being attacked externally or leaking information internally.
Web design experts Webeden, have put together a few simple steps and actions you can take to make sure your small business is safe and secure. From ensuring you keep up to date with the latest in data protection, to simple actions you can perform day to day internally.
Getting your internal security tight
The place to start is by making sure your internal security is up to scratch. This means ensuring simple, yet effective action is taken, such as adding password protection to all computers and mobile devices.
Ensuring you have passwords, not only on devices, but social accounts, software, payment software etc, and making sure only the relevant people have access, can also help to keep data leaks at bay.
All devices that shouldn’t be accessed by the public should be in a safe and secure environment. This means making sure that all windows and doors have secure and functional locks and no valuable equipment is kept in view of the public.
Keep your employees informed of security policies
In any employee contract you should have some form of security policy. If you are dealing with a large amount of customer details, such as phone numbers, email addresses and payment details, your employees should be aware of their responsibility to keep that information safe.
All employees should be made aware of what information is sensitive and should be kept between internal staff only. There should be proper procedures in place, that are easy to follow and put into practice, with disciplinary action if security policies are breached.
Clearly label your privacy policy
Every site that requires users to input any information should have a clearly labelled privacy policy on their site. This privacy policy needs to clearly explain to any users of the site, what their information will be used for and how it will be kept secure.
If you are planning to run ads such as Twitter ads, you will need to have your privacy policy live on your site in order to run the ads. Your employees must be made aware of the policy and what it entails to ensure they are treating customer information as it should be.
Encrypt sensitive information
Encryption is important if you are regularly handling sensitive information, especially on mobile devices. Making sure your sensitive information is encrypted is an easy way to add an extra layer of security. There are now many applications that can help you with this process, so even if you know nothing about encryption, you can still make sure your data is safe.
Using SSL
If your site requires users to enter any form of payment information, such as an ecommerce site, then you should be using Secure Sockets Layers (SSL). This creates a completely secure connection for your users and helps keep all of their information secure. Using SSL also provides a small lock next to your URL in the address bar, helping to show your site users that your site is safe for them to enter their details into.
Making sure your site is safe and secure not only helps protect any important information you may have for your business, but it also ensures that your customers feel safe using you. Adding this level of trust can not only help you to attract more site visitors, but it could also have a dramatic effect on your website’s conversions on a whole.
You must log in to post a comment.