Any business, whether large or small, established or not, needs to be taking steps to help protect themselves online. So much of what you do as a business will be done online, so you need to make sure that you are not exposing yourself to threats online that could damage your business or harm your reputation. But what are the key things that you as a business owner needs to know so that it can be safe online? Here are some tips to help get your aware and get you started.
Don’t Invite Malware
If you have an office or a warehouse, you wouldn’t knowingly keep the doors to it open at night. But when you aren’t protecting your business online, then you are essentially doing just that, except for all things relating to your business. Malware is what can infiltrate your computers (or your customer’s computer), and mean that information can be taken. So make sure that you have appropriate firewalls up for starters. Using managed IT services could help you with cybersecurity if you need more guidance. Otherwise, make sure that you are cleaning up emails, not opening anything suspicious, and keeping software updates, up to date.
Have an Online Policy
If you have a small business then it is a good idea to look into getting an online policy set up, as small businesses are usually seen as targets. Even if you do outsource your work or have some of the team competent in IT, you won’t have a team that is going to be in-house to deal with all IT issues all day, every day. Having a written policy will help your employees know what is expected of them, as well as what they should be doing. Things like regularly changing passwords is a good idea, as well as educating them about emails, spam, and encryption can be a good idea too. Then as long as they have been talked through the processes and have been given guidance, there is no excuse for not adhering to the guidelines set out in the policy, keeping the business as safe as can be.
Use Social Media Wisely
Love it or loathe it; social media is here to stay. And as a result, you need to make sure that you are using it in the best way that you can. If employees were to use it in a reckless way or not follow best practice or particular guidelines around it, then it could lead to some damage to the business. When it comes to the person running your social media (or the team of people), then you need to talk to them about what is expected. What kind of content do you want them to post, and what kind of tone will the content have? Some brands can work well having quite fun social media channels. But for a corporate entity, that would send the complete wrong message. So define what you want it to look like, decide who will run it, and think about what really can’t be disclosed on those social channels.
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