Safeguarding Your Online Business This Year

Running an online business takes a lot of time and dedication, and when done well it can have a huge impact on your life and the notoriety you can find in the business world. When it comes to running a successful online empire, it is important for you to keep it safe and secure. 

Although technology can open up the door for plenty of opportunities, it also puts you at risk of losing your assets. An online business shows a stark difference to a physical one because rather than having a bunch of paperwork and a warehouse full of products, you simply have a database with your data online. Having every asset of your business online holds several risks and this is why it is important for you to think about the ways that you can protect it. 

Whether you decide to use an identity verification service for all authorized personnel or use a cyber security program, there are plenty of ways to safeguard your online business today. 

1. Close your door

When you come home after a long day of work, you enter your home, and then you close and lock the door. If you want to ensure that you are safe and secure all year long, it is important for you to close the door on your computer when you shut it down. This door can be a piece of software or code which will act as a barrier against malware and it can make a huge impact on your security. There are tools you can use for your computer, laptop, tablet and phone. 

2. Write an IT policy 

If you are running a small business which employs others, there is a huge responsibility for you to safeguard everyone in the business as well as educate them on online safety. This is why it is time for you to create a security policy for online data, which has to be followed by everyone in the office. A policy can include any of these things:

• Approved applications - This can be a list of approved applications and software which your employees are welcome to download onto their machines, This will allow people to download tools they need as well as ensure that these downloads don’t have an effect on your machine. 

• Passwords - a policy can be put in place to choose a password which is 10 characters long with a number and special character. An extra policy should be put in place to change passwords every three months to ensure that all computers are safe against hacking.

• Enforce consequences - when creating a policy for anything, you need to add some conditions to them. If a policy is not followed there should be consequences and this is something which will make all the difference to your business. 

• Proper use - when using the company computer, there should be a set of guidelines to show people what they can and cannot use. For example, you might allow them to use YouTube to watch videos while working, but only as long as it doesn’t cover the whole screen. You can also think about the way in which people use online shopping on their lunch breaks, as this can be an issue for security. 

• Emails - teach people about SPAM emails and how to avoid falling for a scam. 

3. Manage your online persona

One of the most important things to manage as a small business is your online reputation and tone of voice. When looking to gain positive recognition from your audience, it is important to be social, professional, and trending. You need to make sure that the people who are able to post on behalf of your page know what they are doing and how to act online. Be sure to teach your social media manager how to come across online and also make sure that they stay politically and religiously neutral online as to not risk alienating part of your audience. 

4. Protect with passwords

We’ve already mentioned the importance of passwords today, however we want to really delve into this idea more to ensure that you have the best possible chance of staying safe. 

One way NOT to create a password is like this:

Alpha123

This kind of password is too easy to detect and will be caught immediately. There are several ways to make a great password and today we will look at a few. 

The first way is to bash the keyboard and use whatever comes out: 

Rnebrnfr;aeicr2n 5fu0 

All you need to do now is save the password somewhere, such as with a tool like LastPass, and it will be there when you need it. 

Another way is to use random word association:

Mangopandacheese586

By using a few words together, it will be easier for you to remember however it will be almost impossible for anyone to guess the words. 

5. Look for security packages 

When it comes to choosing a security package for your computer, it is important for you to think deeply about every possible tool and ensure that you choose the best ones for you and your needs. Take your time and do some real research into the security packages which are available in the world and this will allow you to choose the best one for you.

Please note, this article contains affiliate links.

Data Loss: 4 Ways to Help Your Small Business Recover

By Amy Collett

Data is invaluable to any modern-day business and losing it can mean the death of a company. According to Clutch, 58 percent of small businesses are not prepared for data loss. Because of this, the majority of small businesses that lose their data are forced to shut down within six months of an event. Don't let this scare you just yet! If you act quickly and take the correct next steps, your business can recover and you can prevent this problem from occurring again. 

1. Call in Professionals

When you first notice missing data, don’t try to recover it yourself. It’s very possible your data is still accessible somehow, but messing around in your storage system can lead to permanent loss. Specialists like Secure Data Recovery know their way around hardware and software, which makes them the best bet for safely recovering data without causing additional damage. They can also help you keep your important business operations online while you work to recover from the loss. Until the pros can conduct an analysis of your problem, it’s best to shut down your computer completely.  

2. Determine the Cause of Data Loss

Most often, people have no idea why their data is missing. Try to find out what went wrong so you can help your data recovery specialists get your data back and prevent the problem from happening again. Data is most often lost due to human error, technical failure, or targeted attacks. For example, it’s easy to accidentally delete the wrong files or overwrite existing files when updating your business records. On the other hand, your data loss may be the result of a virus or malware. In this case, it's very possible that attackers are stealing data rather than simply deleting it. Look out for the signs of a data breach if you suspect this may be occurring. 

3. Write a Letter to your Customers 

Most states have laws in place requiring businesses to notify their customers if their data is stolen. Although this can hurt your company’s reputation, it’s much better than facing class-action lawsuits. You may be required to send your customers a written notice detailing everything you know about the data breach. Two of the most important things to include in your notice are what your business is doing to fix the situation and what specific actions your customers can take to protect themselves.

4. Be Prepared Next Time

Just because you already lost your data once doesn’t mean it won’t happen again. Preventing data loss is an important part of business planning and should be one of the first things you do as your business recovers from this setback. Set up a solid recovery plan and a system for conducting regular backups. Mashable recommends backing up your files to more than one computer and storing at least one copy off-site. Ideally, you should back up your important files every day and a minimum of once per week.

An IT disaster recovery plan should also be developed so you know exactly what to do the next time you’re faced with a major system problem. This should include a way to quickly switch your operations to run on backup data so you can reduce downtime. 

Finally, be on the lookout for signs of a failing hard drive: 

●      Frequent error messages

●      Slower computer performance

●      Scrambled file names

●      Frequent program crashes

●      Files and folders that disappear

●      Grinding or clicking sounds in your computer

If you notice any of these problems, back up your data immediately and have a professional take a look at your system. Your computer's hard drive is the device that stores and retrieves digital information. When it goes, your data goes with it. 

Although being faced with significant data loss will likely cause immediate panic to any business owner, there’s a very good chance you can get it back. The greatest cost to your business will be the downtime you're forced to endure as you get everything back up and running again. This is why you should turn to professionals who know how to fix the problem as quickly as possible.

About the Author:

Amy Collett is the creator of Bizwell.org, a website that helps professionals and entrepreneurs build and strengthen their personal brand. She is author of the upcoming book, You, Exemplified: The Role of Personal Branding in Your Professional Life. When she isn’t helping clients boost their careers or businesses, she enjoys coaching her daughter’s soccer team and training to become a yoga instructor.