Emergence of the Internet as the new sales and marketing media has forced companies of all sizes to move much of their business activities online. As people increasingly rely on social networks, search results and ecommerce stores to find a product or service they need, digital strategies become a growing business focus.
This is especially true for small to medium sized companies that can now expand their reach to distant regions with minimum investments. However, not everything is so bright about this trend. The number of cyber attacks grows parallel to the expansion of online businesses, whereupon ecommerce websites are most frequently the target of malevolent activities.
Last year’s security reports have noted immense increase in the number of cyber attacks: Neustar Annual DDoS Attacks Report revealed 60% of increase in the number of companies that experienced DDoS attacks, while McAfee Labs Threats Report identified 15% increase in ransomware. These are some of the digits that clearly point to the importance of cyber security strategies for a successful online business strategy.
Even though achieving 100% safety on the web is almost impossible, there are several security steps small businesses need to take in order to protect their users and their company’s reputation.
Password policies
Educating employees on the importance of using strong passwords is a simple yet critical step towards ensuring company data security. Strong passwords should be used for every business account, which is especially important nowadays when employees actively store and share files through online collaboration services such as Dropbox or Box. Small businesses, therefore, need to have password regulations that would prevent employees from bringing a company database into danger by using weak passwords for third-party applications.
Trusted and up-to-date security software
As with all the other software tools used in a company, security software chosen for data and network protection must be a trusted one, and must be updated regularly. This translates into using anti-virus software on all employee devices, implementing security firewall for all business systems, patching business applications, as well as authorizing network and data access. In companies with BYOD policies, security software also includes introducing off-premise protection applications that ensure business data is safe even when a device is outside the workplace.
Reliable hosting
Choosing a reliable hosting provider is essential for a business website security. With the variety of threats that can impact a hosting company’s server and thus put business data into danger, doing a research on hosting service types and features is a precondition for choosing the right solution. Without stable security measures and standards, your hosting package may be slowing down your business instead of moving it forward, which is why some knowledge of hosting solutions available is obligatory for every modern business.
Backup and Disaster Recovery
Data backup and disaster recovery plans are parts of cyber security strategy that enable you to have your business up and running again immediately after an unpredicted breach happens. Even with all the necessary security steps taken, the possibility of a breach, however small, still exists. By keeping regular data backups in trusted forms such as secure cloud provider, your digital strategy is complete.
Given the rise of cyber security threats, the benefits of introducing stable measures for data, website and employee accounts protection definitely has multiple benefits. Only with a properly outlined security strategy can a company minimize risks of data loss and ensure a faster growth, which is why this topic needs to gain more attention in small businesses. 
Ella
