As a new start-up, ensuring that your online presence is secure is important. This means protecting your website from hackers, safeguarding customer data, and maintaining a strong cyber security posture. Here are 6 ways to help ensure online safety for your new business:
1. Use a reputable web hosting provider
Setting up a new website for your business can be an exciting time. However, it’s essential to make sure that you take the necessary steps to ensure online safety. Using a reputable web hosting provider is one way to achieve this.
There are many benefits to using a reputable web hosting provider. Perhaps the best benefit is that they will have robust security measures to protect your website from hackers. They will also likely offer regular backups of your website so that you can easily restore your site if something goes wrong.
Also, a reputable web hosting provider will offer excellent customer support in case you have any questions or problems. This can be extremely helpful when you’re starting your website.
2. Implement strong security measures
There are many ways to ensure online safety in your new start-up. One of the most important is to secure your email communications. Email is often the first point of contact between you and your customers, and your messages must be secure. You can secure your emails with Sendmarc with their industry-leading email security solutions. Spam emails are a common way for hackers to access your account, so it’s important to have a system that can filter out these messages.
Another way to ensure online safety is to implement strong security measures on your website. This includes ensuring that your website is hosted on a secure server, using secure protocols for communication, and implementing firewalls and intrusion detection systems. By taking these measures, you can protect your website from attacks and keep your customer’s data safe.
Finally, you should also encrypt your website with an SSL certificate. This will ensure that all information exchanged between your server and visitors’ browsers are secure. You can get an SSL certificate from various providers, but we recommend using Symantec’s Norton product.
3. Keep your website and plugins up to date
Your website is one of your most critical online assets and keeping it up to date is crucial to ensuring its security. Hackers always look for vulnerabilities in websites and plugins that they can exploit, and out-of-date software is one of the most common ways of leaving your site vulnerable. Keeping your website and plugins up to date can help protect yourself from these attacks.
4. Educate yourself and your team on cybersecurity best practices
One of the best ways to protect your business is to educate yourself and your team on cybersecurity best practices. This includes understanding how to spot potential threats, what to do if you suspect your business has been targeted, and how to create a strong password policy. Educating yourself and your team on these topics can help reduce the risk of cyberattacks and keep your business safe.
Additionally, consider implementing some or all of the following cybersecurity best practices:
- Use strong passwords and change them regularly.
- Don’t use the same password for multiple accounts.
- Keep your antivirus software up to date.
- Avoid clicking on links in emails from unknown senders.
- Be cautious when downloading files from the internet.
- Back up important data regularly.
Following these best practices can help keep your business safe from cyberattacks.
5. Have a plan to respond to a breach or attack
Your start-up is at high risk for online attacks. Why? Because you’re new. And hackers love targeting new companies – they know that you likely haven’t had the time to put strong security measures in place yet.
So what can you do to protect your start-up from hackers? One of the best things you can do is have a plan to respond to a breach or attack. This way, if (when) it happens, you’ll know exactly what to do and who to contact.
6. Invest in cyber insurance
As a new start-up, you will likely rely heavily on technology and the internet to help you get off the ground. However, with this increased reliance comes an increased risk of cyber-attacks and data breaches. Investing in cyber insurance is a smart move for any new business.
Cyber insurance can provide your start-up with financial protection in case of a cyber-attack or data breach. It can also help to cover the costs of any resulting legal action or litigation. In addition, cyber insurance can provide access to specialist support and advice in the wake of an incident, helping you to get your business back up and running as quickly as possible.
Several types of cyber insurance policies are available, so choosing one that offers the right level of coverage for your specific needs is essential. However, as a general rule, investing in cyber insurance is wise for any new business that relies heavily on technology and the internet. It can give you peace of mind knowing that you are protected financially in the event of a cyber-attack or data breach and help you to get back on your feet quickly if such an incident does occur.
These are just a few ways to help ensure your new business’s online safety. By taking these steps, you can protect your website and customer data and reduce the chances of a successful attack. Cybersecurity is an important issue for all businesses, so ensure you’re taking steps to mitigate the risks.