Customer data comprises various types, from account details and login credentials to email passwords and health reports. Companies and their respective marketing heads use this data to better engage with customers in a relevant fashion. At the same time, losing a customer’s sensitive data means incurring serious repercussions.

For a company, losing customer data affects public relations, deteriorates its image, and reduces trust. In some critical cases, it might even lead to expensive lawsuits. If conglomerates like Sony and Facebook are prone to cyber-attacks in this digital age, small businesses would be an easy hit for hackers and cybercriminals.

Common Misconceptions

Many times small businesses are more susceptible to cyber-attacks due to their complacency. It is important not to assume that your small business is not worth a hacker’s skills or time. As small businesses also lack the number of resources and insights on proper measures of cyber security compared to large corporations, they can be frequent targets for hackers.

Here are 3 Tips to Enhance Cyber Security

1. Sensitive Data Access

The easiest way to avoid mistakes leading to cyber-attack vulnerability is to limit access to your business’s personal and sensitive customer data. You can do this by restricting access to said data to personnel who do not need it.

Often, the unnecessary use of sensitive data causes certain employees to make a mistake, leaving susceptible to cyber criminals.

2. Dedicated Servers

Using a shared server through a third-party offers cost-savings, however a website on a shared server that fails to prevent a cyber-attack compromises your business’s security. A hacker’s protocols may completely hijack the server. Hosting an exclusive server for your website and online information enhances security.

3. Passwords and Security Updates

An expert recommendation is to avoid using the same password for many login and account credentials. Instead, you can use different software’s that suggests strong passwords. This software helps you keep a log of passwords in a secure way in case you forget them. Remember, if you use the same password, hackers can gain access to a system’s services and sensitive customer data.

Another measure, besides strong passwords, is the use of endpoint protection and web filtering. Using web filtering can prevent employees from visiting unauthorized or fraudulent websites and can even prevent email hacking. End point protection will detect problems or viruses in your computers, which not only can make data available to hackers, but can corrupt it and make it inaccessible or even simply erase it all.

Conclusion

Opt for an IT professional’s help. In many cases, they offer permanent services on a business’s payrolls, or they can simply suggest the solutions to many problems. Consequently, you reduce the risk of suffering from a cyber-attack.

If you are looking for a proven IT security company in Metro Detroit, contact us today to learn more about our services.