Easy-to-Implement Tips to Help Keep Your Business Information Secure Today

As a business owner or manager, it’s your responsibility to do what you can to keep your business secure from attacks and prying eyes, whether they are physical or digital. While many entrepreneurs focus initially on what they can do to secure their office or other spaces from break-ins, it’s crucial that you take just as much care with the digital safety of your organization’s information as you do with its physical security.

Whether you need to protect customer details, financial data, trade secrets, bank account information or more, there are multiple, low-cost and simple ways that you can ward off hackers and other spies. Read on for some tips you can easily implement today.

Buy and Update Software

One of the first things you should do to protect your business information is to install firewalls and security software on your computers. Firewalls are created to stop thieves from breaking into computers remotely in order to access data such as passwords, credit card numbers, and customer addresses and contact information. They’re essential for any business which takes (and potentially stores) client details and other sensitive data via Internet-based programs.

You might decide to use the firewalls that are already installed on many operating systems, but it is often better to buy a more comprehensive version designed by a third-party brand which specializes in the area.

There are also plenty of great anti-spam, anti-virus and anti-malware software programs and spyware solutions on the market that you can purchase and install on your devices. These products will help you avoid being attacked by a malicious virus or other software that hackers create in order to get into systems via a Wi-Fi connection, spam emails, or websites.

Software solutions that protect from these types of attacks are important because many thieves use malware as a means of getting into computer systems so that codes can be installed and run in the background to collate sensitive information. Many people don’t even realize that all of their keystrokes, login data, and other details are being captured and directly relayed back to hackers.

Keep in mind too that any type of software that you install on your computer must be updated regularly in order to be properly effective. Similarly, operating systems and all your computer programs should also be kept up to date, as the latest versions are typically the most secure.

Use Hard-to-Hack Passwords and Change Them Regularly

Another simple yet effective strategy you can implement today is that of selecting difficult-to-decipher passwords for all your desktop and laptop computers, smartphones, and tablets. Although you may think that you’re using a decent password because it’s not the basic “123456” or “password” code that so many people choose, in actual fact most hackers can easily surmise other passwords by reading personal information (such as your birth date or names of family members) on social media sites and the like.

To really ward off cybercrime you need to select a strong password that is at least eight to 12 characters long, and that contains a combination of numbers, letters (capital and lower-case ones), and symbols.

It also pays to update your codes around every two to three months, and to use different passwords across your various devices and most-commonly visited websites. This way, even if one password does happen to get hacked, your other accounts won’t all be affected at the same time.

Utilize Mobile Apps to Secure Data

There are also lots of fantastic apps on the market which are designed to protect communications on smartphones and tablets. Signal Private Messenger, for example, is one such program. This service (available for both Android and iOS gadgets) keeps text messages and VOIP voice calls private when you communicate in real time with colleagues, friends, family members, journalists, investors, and any other contacts.

The software uses an advanced encryption protocol to ensure that various types of information, including texts, videos and pictures, are all kept from prying eyes. None of the data you send or receive through the app is kept on Signal’s server, or stored in any other location, meaning that it can’t be hacked.

Train Your Staff

Lastly, remember that if you operate a business one of your most vulnerable access points is actually through your staff members. To avoid hackers getting access to private company information via employees, make sure that security issues are discussed in detail with each person in the office. The team should all be educated on the most common hacking techniques, and also required to use proper passwords (and update them regularly) on all devices they use.

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