Security breaches are a threat to every business today. Not only big companies but also small startups are the target of cybercriminals.
However, new businesses are an easy bite for them. This is because startups are young at everything including the latest and increase cybersecurity.
Veterans, for this reason, always recommend keeping your systems up-to-date with the latest security. Here, we talk about the precautions that you can take as a startup to protect your business.
1) Make data protection part of your business plan
Protecting yours as well as your customers’ data should be a separate part in your business plan. Startups generally plan out their first employees and payroll systems. But special consideration should be given to data security and cybercrime protection as well. Whether you would have a separate cybersecurity department or you want to outsource it should be laid down in the business plan.
2) Invest in cybersecurity software from the first day
Allocate a portion of your investment to reliable anti-malware and anti-virus software. The software should be installed in every computer and device being used in the office in order for strong protection from cyber theft.
3) Always use strong passwords for data protection
Hackers mostly target the passwords to access your business computer or account. So, it is imperative to set strong and complex passwords so that it is difficult to breach them. Also, try to change the passwords every once in a while.
4) Protect confidential data on mobile devices
Employees may also access your company’s data in their personal computers or mobile phones. So, make sure that you have the anti-malware software installed in all of those devices.
5) Data access should be given only to authorized employees
Access to network for computers should be limited in and around your office premises. Also, give a separate user account to each employee through a terminal emulation software so that not everyone can access your business computer. This will allow only accredited employees are the authority to access any confidential data.
6) Encrypt all your sensitive data
All the sensitive data, customers’ addresses or credit card numbers, for example, should be stored as encryption. Encryption is the coded language that only is decoded using a particular key. There should be strong encryption to your database from end to end to avoid the loss of such confidential information.
7) Verify the third party security
Many startups go for third-party security for protection from cyber thefts. If you are one of those, be aware that there is a risk of a security breach from their end. To ensure this, always opt for vendors who have updated security procedures, backup the confidential data to hard drive regularly, have routinely internal audits as well as can train your employees for data protection security.
Remember that slight negligence with respect to cybersecurity can bring massive loss for your startup, so never compromise of data protection and maintain all the security standards up-to-date.