Three ways to add protection to your marketing mix
Every business needs cyber security. Even if your products, services or store aren’t online, you’re still connected to the internet. That means you’re exposed to potential cyber threats every day.
If you’re not protecting your business’ cyber security, you’re not just putting your information at risk — you’re missing out on potential opportunities to grow. Investing in protection, just like investing in products, price, placement and promotion, can serve as a marketing tool. Here’s how to take your business’ cyber security to the next level.
Secure your business’ transactions
When a customer buys from your business, their money is valuable — and so is their information. If your transactions aren’t secure, cyber criminals could access this information and use it to steal your customer’s identity.
Keeping these transactions safe starts with some straightforward steps:
- Install a firewall, which is a security tool that monitors and restricts network traffic.
- This is a good way to protect your customers’ transactions.
- Remember to change the default network name and password for all of your network devices
- Update your software regularly to keep it working properly and to protect yourself from vulnerabilities.
- Enabling automatic updates is an easy way to install updates without having to think about them.
- Make sure customer information is stored securely and encrypted and that you’re only storing the information you need.
Losing personal information, especially financial information, is a huge concern for Canadians. Making sure that your business’ transactions are secure establishes trust with your customers and keeps them coming back for more.
Secure your business’ communications
Your transactions aren’t the only thing you need to keep secure. It’s important to protect your business’ internal activities to make a cyber safe work environment that benefits both employees and customers.
Phishing scams, for example, target businesses to steal not only their information, but also the information of their customers. Training employees to watch for signs of phishing can prevent cyber criminals from compromising your business and your customers.
Implementing spam filters, restricting access to sensitive information to only the employees who need it and enabling multi-factor authentication (MFA) wherever possible are simple steps you can take to protect your business and keep your customers’ data private.
Create a cyber security plan
If your business is ready to make cyber security a top priority, then a strong cyber security plan can help. A solid plan takes your business’ cyber security to the next level and shows you’re committed to staying cyber safe. It helps you deal with threats, classify sensitive information and organize the cyber security actions within your business. It’s important for all of your employees to be familiar with your cyber security plan and for the plan to be supported by your management team.
In addition to a plan, it’s important that your business has at least one employee dedicated to cyber security. This way, your business can stay up-to-date with current threats and what to do to combat them. Your dedicated cyber security personnel can help plan and implement your security procedures. They can also maintain and update the security safeguards used by your business.
Conclusion
If your business doesn’t care about cyber security, it’s missing out. Being cyber secure opens the door for potential customers and opportunities. If you’re looking for ways to make your business more secure, check out the Get Cyber Safe Guide for Small and Medium Businesses. It’s got all the information you need to make protection a priority for your business.