Recent studies show that hackers are targeting small businesses. It can be quite frightening to learn that all the hard work that you have put in establishing your online presence through social media and your company website will all go to waste just because someone decided to play with what you already have. And because you are slowly gaining the attention that you want from potential clients, hackers have decided to make you one of their recent victims.
Of those who have fallen victims to these hackers, almost 60% of them go out of business in a span of six months. It is not just about losing important data, but it is about the possible bridge in the data that the clients have provided. When clients know about this, they become weary about the information they provided your company. They end up wondering if you’ve ever set up firewalls to protect the data they have provided you. When your business page has been hacked, you lose the trust of clients and other potential customers of your business.
Should you ask for help?
You ask for help when your copier Columbus appliance is not working like it should. You bring in the technician to help you look at the problem and find a solution for it. You should have the same attitude when you are taking care of the online presence of your business. You should seek the help of those who know better to prevent the worst from happening. But how do you prevent malware? How do you set-up the cybersecurity program for your business? Here are two secrets that make it happen:
Keep your anti-virus up-to-date.
The problem with most business owners is that they don’t invest in the really good programs to protect their online platforms. Some of them find it difficult to understand how it works that’s why they readily dismiss that it does not work. What they don’t realize is that their website and other programs in their computer as working like it should because the anti-virus program is actually doing its job. Almost all companies have their anti-virus program, but most of those who have don’t keep it up-to-date. Don’t be a victim to malware problems. Protect yourself by allowing the anti-virus program to work.
Create passwords and enforce policies.
What is your computer password? You can’t let everyone in the office know how they could get in your laptop. In fact, it would be best if nobody else in the office knows but you. Such information should also be kept a secret considering that your computer is the home to many important information including all the supplier and customer details. Make sure to create a strong password. How is this done? Here are some guidelines to remember:
o Your password should at least be 8 characters.
o It should be a combination of letters and numbers.
o If you can include special characters and capitalization into your password, that would make it even more difficult to guess.
o It should be changed frequently
What else can you do?
Create a policy in the office that allows you and your employees to keep their passwords protected. This is one of the best ways to keep important data in place without the risk of being hacked. There is just so much you can do to protect all important data in your server and your website. You just have to know to whom you should ask help from. It is not just about Copier Columbus appliance working very well. It is about ensuring that all the data that runs through it is always kept safe, no matter what.