A Few Cybersecurity Tips for Business Owners

The security of your users' data is an increasingly pressing issue. As a business owner, it is your responsibility to take the necessary measures to protect your customers.

Most jurisdictions have developed laws or are currently working on them. Europe, for instance, adopted the GDPR (General Data Privacy Regulation) to force companies to rethink their data-collection policies. This new law creates plenty of headaches for companies that rely on data collection to properly understand consumers' needs and how to meet them.

There is therefore a trade-off, or a balance to strike. Exchanging personal information for an assurance that this data is well protected.

Here are a few tips you can apply to help you.

• Identify what information you collect and tell your customers. Transparency will inspire your customers' trust and is likely to increase the chances they will give it willingly. Companies that hide the truth from their customers risk a crisis to manage if that data is exfiltrated, not to mention the legal risk.
• Do not put off software and firmware updates. Hackers constantly scan for already-discovered flaws and for those who are behind on updates.
• Encrypt your data!
• Data leaks damage companies' reputations. It is a good idea to segregate the data you need (name, email address, etc.) from data that is not necessary (credit card number, etc.). You can let external companies manage that data (to process payment, for example).
• Training, Training, Training! Explain to your employees your security measures, how they work, and the behavior they should adopt to keep data from falling into the wrong hands.
• Test your website and network for vulnerabilities. (we can help with that!)
• Prepare for the worst. Have a continuity plan, a cyberattack response plan, and test your backup copies. That way, if such a situation happens to you, you will be able to keep serving your customers.
• If you have a website where your customers must log in, make sure you have put two-factor authentication in place and that you adequately protect your database. Several techniques should be implemented, such as salting, hashing methods, etc. (do not hesitate to ask us for a hand).
• Most PCs and servers shipped today have a TPM (Trusted Platform Module) chip. Use them! For your cloud services, make sure you use encryption. Limit the access points to your servers.

Finally, attacks happen daily. No matter the size of the company, no matter your market sector. Everyone is at risk. Keep in mind that you have the responsibility to protect the data you hold.