Protecting your business’s information is crucial to your success. All businesses have access to sensitive data that cannot afford to land in the wrong hands. A data breach can affect your reputation and how much your customers are willing to trust you. Thankfully, you can take some steps to ensure your business is more secure. This article looks at five different things you can do to secure your business.
1. Change How You Handle Credit Cards To Reduce Liability
Almost every business accepts credit card payments regardless of industry. Although it’s never been easier to accept payments, it’s essential that you ensure you’re protecting your customers and your company. Updating how you handle credit card payments will help make your company more secure.
If your website isn’t compliant with the latest security protocols for credit cards, your company can be held liable for losing your customer’s information. Not storing your customer information and keeping detailed records of your transactions are some way you can avoid liability. It’s also important to ensure all the devices involved in your payment processing are secured and protected by strong passwords.
2. Install Surveillance On The Premises
Installing surveillance cameras is the perfect way to protect your business. Recording what happens on your property makes it easier to protect your business in the event that something happens. If your company regularly uses a lot of expensive equipment and materials, it’s worth to maintain consistent video surveillance.
Video surveillance systems also give you the benefit on checking on the office while you’re away. You can access live video feed as long as you have an Internet connection. Video surveillance is excellent for supervising employees, ensuring safety regulations are followed and deterring criminals from visiting your property.
3. Secure Your Cell Phone
If you or your staff use your cell phone for work, it’s essential you take steps to protect your data. An innocent mistake such as leaving your phone on the bus can expose your company to the risk of a data breach. Cell phones bring us convenience, but we also have to be aware of the potential problems they bring. Consult with your IT team to establish a secure connection for your cell phone and make sure you use strong passwords.
4. Do Regular Backups Of Your Data
In today’s digital world, your data is an asset you need to go the extra mile to protect. Losing your customer’s data can result in painful consequences for your company. Doing regular backups ensures you can access old data at your convenience.
Backing up your video surveillance footage is also a good idea. Video footage can be an invaluable asset in case you have to prove your side of the story in court. You should also regularly change your passwords especially if you’ve just had an employee leave the company.
5. Add Additional Lighting Outside Your Building
Proper lighting is an excellent deterrent for intruders. Properties that are well lit are unattractive to criminals who prefer easy targets. You should have lights at all entrances activated by motion sensor. It’s also a good idea to install your lights out of sight to avoid tampering.
When installing your security lights, make sure they appear well on your video surveillance footage. If you’re not careful, your lights can wash out your surveillance footage making it useless. You can use special lamp housings to reduce glare while still illuminating your property. Make sure no wires are visible for criminals to tamper with.
All in all, a large part of securing your business is prevention. Use these tips to your advantage to help protect your business. A little prevention goes a long way when it comes to security.