Five of the most important things to keep your business safe online

Needless to say, technology has transformed businesses. Most businesses these days are now online. They have employees working remotely from different parts of the world. It helps both employers and employees. It’s convenient for the employees as they get to work from the comfort of their homes. On the other hand, it saves employers a considerable amount of money, which they would have otherwise spent on office space and related resources. 

As helpful as this arrangement is, it has its downsides, too. One of the major issues is keeping the business safe online. Yes, the remote functioning of businesses has made their security quite vulnerable. Keeping online data safe is quite tricky but not when you take the right measures. That’s right! Several tips and tricks can help save the day. Here’s what you need to do:

Educate your employees about Cybersecurity 

First and foremost, you need to ensure that your employees are aware of cybersecurity, its significance, and the risks involved in its absence. If they’re not educated enough, they may ruin your attempts to keep your business safe online and it will take you back to square one. 

Not to forget, little mistakes on their part; for example, following a random link, downloading third-party applications, or saving passwords on multiple devices, can compromise the online security of your business. Thus, you must start the process by educating your employees about cybersecurity. Make sure they know why you need it, the repercussions of not having it as well as the advantages of keeping the data secure. 

Take care of your Firmware 

According to BBC UK, hundreds of businesses around the world are extremely worried nowadays because of firmware cyber-attacks. As per the survey report provided by BBC, more than 80% of businesses in China, Japan, Germany, the US, and the UK have gone through at least one firm attack in the last two years. Sadly, most businesses don’t realize the severity of this problem and as a result, they fail to allocate a security budget to keep firmware secure. It is a grave mistake that you must not repeat.

Allocating a significant budget to cybersecurity is crucial and when doing so, you must not neglect your firmware. Plus, be sure to get hardware that comes with advanced firmware security. Besides that, always update your firmware on time and never ignore the notifications your device gives you. 

Try out a VPN

Businesses that operate online hire people from different corners of the world. As mentioned earlier, most of their employees work remotely from their homes. Such a pattern often compromises data privacy and security. It demands you to share your files with everyone working, which leaves your online data unfortified.

One way you can address this issue is by using a VPN and encouraging all your employees for the same. A VPN can add an extra layer of security between your online data and the potential hacker. Also, many free VPNs are available these days, so it won’t affect your budget in any way. However, we must not forget that not all VPNs are as good as others.

All VPNs are different from others. Some work well for androids while others support Windows and iOS. On the other hand, in the review about ExpressVPN, we got to know that a few VPNs support all kinds of devices, a scenario that’s rarely entertained. 

Use strong passwords and two-factor authentication 

Not all hackers have pineapples and decoding systems, many hack into your system by guessing your passwords. Even though it seems unreal, it happens all the time. Hackers use different third-party applications that help them guess your passwords. 

The only way to avoid such an issue is by keeping strong passwords. Now here’s a simple rule that you need to remember: the longer the password, the harder it is to guess it. What you need to do is set up a long password with a combination of capital and small alphabets, numbers, and symbols. Plus, make sure to change your passwords frequently, at least once a month. 

Moreover, having a complex password isn’t enough. You also need to have two-factor authentication. Hacking into someone’s account is nearly impossible if they have switched on the two-factor authentication. Yes, whenever someone tries to log in, the owner is notified.

Frequently update your software

Hacking into online systems and taking preventive measures against online hacking is no less than an arms race. No matter what you do or how advanced your online system is, a hacker always finds a way. A prominent example here is the Adobe breach. In 2013, Adobe, a multimillion-dollar company became a victim of the data breach.

Thus, to keep your business safe against data breaches and stay ahead in this arms race, you must ensure to find all the loopholes in your online system and eliminate them. Update your software frequently as old software is 10x more vulnerable to a data breach. Updated software means no bugs and viruses. To take it further, I suggest you also get an anti-virus system. After all, the idea is to eliminate all risks. 

The bottomline…

Running an online business is a lot more convenient than having an office space and all your employees under one roof; however, it has its risks. The good thing is that all these risks can be controlled and eradicated. Just be sure to follow the tips and tricks mentioned above, and you’ll be good to go.