Tips:
- Train your employees. Establishing basic security measures and practises can help protect not only them, but your customers as well. Require strong passwords and establish internet-use guidelines. Also, make sure there are strict rules on handling customer data and heavy penalties for those that ignore them.
- Protect your computers. It’s important to make sure you’ve got the latest security software updates, browser updates, and hardware updates. Install updates ASAP as most patch holes that could leave you vulnerable.
- Have a firewall. Firewalls help prevent outside sources from accessing information on a private network.
- Protect your mobile devices. This is especially important if you or your employees are able to access company information through their mobile device. Just like a computer, you want to have guidelines, security software, and strong passwords to prevent information theft.
- Keep the Wi-Fi network secure. If you give internet access to customers, make sure it’s on a separate internet connection from your own.
- Follow the appropriate guidelines for payment options. There are trusted and validated tools out there that help protect customers from attacks. Use them!
- Make sure your computers are secure! One of the easiest ways to ‘hack’ into someplace is simply to wait for a user to leave their computer. Make sure computers are locked any time you or your employees leave it.
- Limit employee information. Let’s face it, the janitor doesn’t need to be able to see customer information. Limit different employee’s ability to see information they don’t need to see.