Business leaders want to keep their company safe. After pouring their heart and soul into starting the company, and the time and funds spent building it to what it is today, business leaders want to ensure that their company is in the best position to succeed safely. 

With a growing number of businesses across the states operating online, implementing safety measures is of paramount importance. If you are looking for ways to keep your business secure online, keep reading to find out five easy steps to help you achieve this goal. 

Conduct Regular Checks 

Regular security checks should already be something your company is performing. It is a simple and effective way to help you keep your business secure online. Having regular checks on all security features and identifying any weaknesses can benefit your company. It keeps them safe as your team continue to deliver their service. If this is not something your company already does, look at changing this as soon as possible. It could be done yourself, or you could assign the role to an employee you believe is well-equipped to conduct these checks. Decide how often these checks will be conducted. After all of the checks have been completed, the person performing them can update you on their findings and even offer suggestions on improving the security. 

Update All Systems  

Outdated systems can cause severe problems for a company. Aside from missing the advantages latest systems, a business could benefit from, having outdated systems can be a security risk for companies. Spend time ensuring that all systems the company uses are up to date and that employees are using the latest versions available. Additionally, it is worth considering investing in professional support to conduct in-depth checks. Companies like ForAllSecure offer application testing to identify any issues your company faces. The application testing findings could help put the company in a safer position, making the team more aware of the possible threats it was exposed to. It can encourage you and your team to make a more conscious effort to be safer online. 

Create Stronger Passwords 

Weak passwords are easy targets. They are easy to guess and can cause significant issues for companies if their servers are hacked. Ideally, you should be updating your password regularly. This helps with minimizing the chances of someone guessing it. It does not have to be updated daily but consider changing it monthly or more frequently if you wish. Send an email encouraging all employees to update their passwords as well. Create strong passwords that use a combination of numbers, letters, and symbols. Ensure that they are strong but also easy to remember. 

Watch Out For Phishing Emails 

One of the most common ways a hacker can gain access to a company’s system is through phishing emails. Small businesses are often the biggest target of this common cyber threat. Unfortunately for many small businesses, it is frequently the cause behind their cyberattack. Encourage employees to double-check any emails they receive that raise their suspicions. Some phishing emails are easy to spot and identify as a potential threat, but some can easily fool a few employees. These emails lead to many small businesses being victims of cyberattacks. If you or any of your employees notice a suspicious email, alert the rest of the team to know what type of email to watch out for. It could help to minimize the risk of an attack happening. In addition, it’s important to use adaptive authentication to enhance the security from phishing attacks. How adaptive authentication works involves analyzing various contextual factors, such as user behavior, location, and device information, to adjust the level of authentication required dynamically. This method helps prevent unauthorized access by scrutinizing real-time patterns and anomalies and enhancing security measures against phishing attempts and potential cyber threats.

Limit Employee Access  

Consider what access employees have to company information and data. Depending on the department, it is unlikely they need access to all aspects of the company. For instance, the sales and accounting department will unlikely need to know the passwords to the backend of the company’s website. Look at what access each of your employees currently has. See if there are any permissions available to them. If there are any that they do not need, remove their permissions, and limit them to only having access to the information that they need to get their work done. Doing this will help you to minimize any security breaches from occurring. 

The Bottom Line 

Being online can make a tremendous difference to a company. It can help them to offer their services and products to a broader audience, building partnerships locally, nationally, and internationally. Operating online provides a company to be more flexible with how they work, allowing their employees to work remotely and still be productive. 

Whilst many businesses harness the advantages being online can have for the company, it comes with its risks. Cyberattacks are the main threat that companies of all sizes face. Implementing numerous strategies, such as those mentioned, will help business leaders put their company in a safer position to avoid being a cyberattack victim. Instead, they can continue to deliver their excellent service whilst being cautious of any potential threats that come their way.