Your business is a target, regardless of how small it may be. Hackers are constantly looking for access to your website to steal customer data. In the US, more than 50% of small companies are attacked by online hackers each year. These attempts by hackers will never stop, so it is important for your business to have strong security from the beginning. Studies show that, when hackers are successful, 60% of hacked companies close their doors within six months. Below are five ways that your small start-up business could potentially be destroyed through poor security.
- Poor security on your network: unfortunately, people tend to take shortcuts and are the main enemy of security. On any computer network, the first line of defense is passwords. When an employee uses the same password on your network as they do elsewhere, this can become a major concern. If another network they are on is breached, your secure network may also be compromised. This can be dealt with through changing all passwords monthly. Another way employees put passwords at risk are by writing them down on paper or saving them on their phones. The best way to overcome this issue is to allow employees to choose their own passwords, but implement passwords that have a variety of letters, numbers, and symbols. It is also important for employees to understand the risk of logging on to the company network on a device that is unprotected. One way for a business to overcome this problem is to provide digital devices for employees to use for work, then randomly inspect them for data that is not business related.
- Theft of data: many employees tend to be lax about security when using their phones or other digital devices that have company data. You must also consider the risk of an employee potentially losing their phone or other digital devices in a public place, then not telling the employer for fear being reprimanded. Potentially losing your data and not knowing about it can be one of the worst situations your business can be in.
- Website security that is lacking: many companies use WordPress for their business. If you are using WordPress, it is important to use a plug-in that can add more security to your site. One option we suggest is iThemes security. When you use the professional version, you are given more security settings. Another threat to web security is the theft of your web copy. Many webmasters seem to think it’s okay to copy your entire page or your images. These webmasters know that you may never find them, thanks to the size of the Internet itself. Investing in a web scraping tool is the best way to check online for any copies of your web page.
- Burglary: all businesses need to invest in the physical security of their premises, including locked doors and an alarm system. Burglars tend to look for buildings that are unoccupied overnight or on the weekends. Offices are often targeted because of high-value equipment the business needs, such as computers and printers. Though your business will be hurt financially by someone stealing your computer, your business may be destroyed if your customer data is not protected on the computer. Unfortunately, many businesses tend to store their bank account information and passwords either on the computer or written down close by, making the burglary much worse.
- Flapping tongues: every business has secrets that their competitors would love to know, so every employee you hire becomes an extra security risk. It is important for a business to have a lawyer draw up a contract to protect the business when an employee leaves and have every new hire sign a nondisclosure agreement. The best way to keep employees from talking to competitors is by providing a great atmosphere for them to work in where they are valued and supported.
Conclusion
If your company is not taking security seriously enough, it may be destroyed by a data breach. The chance of your business facing a data breach can be greatly reduced when you have many systems in place. As the most trusted technical support company Birmingham AL has to offer, we can help your business put a strong security plan in place and protect your data from hacker attacks. Give us a call today to see what we can do for your business.