Every business needs to protect itself from online threats such as theft, fraud and hackers – yet in the blogging sphere, there’s a tendency for people to not treat their blog as a serious business which means they don’t give security the necessary consideration it deserves; particularly if you’re selling things on your blog.
Think of the effect a data breach could have on your reputation, as an online retailer, if credit card information were to be hacked – for example – or your email subscriber list were to be spammed from your account. This stuff can have a serious effect on your reputation and it’s therefore something to take seriously.
This article offers 5 ways you can protect your online business.
This is a contributed post. Please refer to my disclosure for more information.
1. Keep everything under lock and key
You wouldn’t protect your front door with a flimsy lock and key; so why do so many business owners protect their online business with such a basic password? Make sure you don’t use the same password for each account and use a mixture of letters, numbers and symbols.
2. Use secure systems
There are a number of very reputable companies online that offer enhanced security, as well as technical support; everything from payment processors such as PayPal to marketing providers such as ClickFunnels that allow you to securely (and easily) create landing pages for selling products such as e-books or online courses via your blog.
3. Have a backup
If you’ve ever been in the position where you’ve lost important data due to hardware failure, accidental damage, or theft… then you’ll have most likely learned the hard way the value of backing up your data to the cloud.
If we compare this to an offline business, you wouldn’t keep just one copy of essential documents, you would have a number of copies, some of which would be kept in secure storage – as you would appreciate the tangible value of that asset, and be more connected with the fact such a document is perishable and vulnerable to being lost.
It might be a good idea to consult with a professional IT support company in order to get specific advice for your blog, but as a basic starting point, you’ll want to keep a copy of all your work in the cloud, ideally in multiple locations – to give you the peace of mind that all your precious data will still be there should the worst happen.
4. Have surveillance in place
Nobody likes the thought of their home or business being burgled, which is why many stores have security cameras in place. You need the same for an online business. Make sure you have adequate web protection against hackers that try to violate your online business, in the same way that you would ensure your shop was protected each night from being broken into by thieves.
5. Collect cash securely
Just like how a high street store has a secure till and a safe, rather than having money laid out on the table, you need a secure way of taking payment. PayPal and Stripe have both stood the test of time as reliable payment systems. You might want to also consider looking into SSL certificates that provide an added assurance to customers that your site is safe.
