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Written by: James Ponds
Running your own company is a great opportunity, but it takes a lot to build a successful business for yourself. This is all the more true in the digital age wherein dependence on the internet for e-commerce and social media marketing can expose your company to various digital threats. Here are the tips you’ll need in order to make a name for yourself in the digital age by protecting your business from hackers.
Protecting Your Website
One of the most integral ways to protect your company from bad actors is to start by protecting your website. Unsecure websites are vulnerable to cyber attacks on multiple fronts that can negatively affect the website itself or give hackers access to the data of your company or your clientele. Securing your website against these threats is as simple as purchasing TLS certification. What is TLS? Transport Layer Security is an encryption and decryption protocol, the purpose of which is to thwart hackers when and if they manage to get their hands on sensitive information. This is done by scrambling data when and where it would otherwise be a sitting duck just waiting for hackers to intercept it, and this simple technique is often enough on its own to protect the sanctity of your company website and the customers that use it. Securing your website with encryption software is also an important way of boosting your visibility on search engines because search engines have begun to prioritize results that lead users to trusted websites that are fortified with this essential security feature.
Securing Your App
In addition to your company’s website, your company can and most likely will incorporate a proprietary app. These apps can boost sales by giving your customers access to your company’s services not only remotely, but also on the phone that’s always on their person. Creating an app for your company has been simplified immensely with the widespread availability of APIs. APIs are like shortcuts to building software, and they can drastically cut down on the cost, difficulty, and time of developing an end user app for your business. However, it would be a trivial matter for hackers to get their hands on the same API, essentially giving them the keys to the kingdom. This is incredibly troubling, because it can allow your customers to become easy targets, and customer data is often a treasure trove for hackers looking to sell that data to the highest bidder or use it to steal the identities of your valued customers. API security needs to be your top priority when integrating an app into your business model as a direct result of the threat that relying on an API entails.
Fortifying Your Network
Another way for hackers to obtain illicit private and business data from your company is by infiltrating your network, and that means that network security needs to be taken care of early and often. There are numerous tools that can secure your network against potential cyber-attacks. For example, intrusion detection and prevention software are a great one-two punch for cyber attacks as they happen. On the other hand, network monitoring software can provide you with insights into the behavior of various users on your network, and that can help to establish behavioral patterns that can tip you off to potential cyber-attacks well before they occur. DDoS prevention software is instrumental in preventing one of the most devastating types of cyberattacks, something that human beings simply aren’t equipped to handle. By investing in the right cybersecurity software, you can ensure that your business’s network is all but immune to various tools in the hackers’ arsenal.
While the looming threat of hackers and other cyber attacks can be daunting, there are numerous tools and techniques that can protect your company from harm. By taking full advantage of these tips, you can ensure that you never stumble haplessly into any of the obvious traps.
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