When you’re managing a business, using the internet is crucial. From running your website to communicating via email, there isn’t much you can do without it! It is therefore incredibly important to protect yourself online, especially when you’re handling important financial information. So, here are some top tips for protecting your company against internet hackers:
1. Increase your password strength
It may seem simple, but making sure you’re using strong passwords is a great first step. You want to make sure, in the case that hackers do try to steal your data, that you don’t make it easy for them. Unfortunately, internet hackers are becoming more and more intelligent, and they’re likely to have lots of experience when it comes to guessing passwords. Here are some steps to follow for creating a hack-proof login:
Don’t:
- Choose anything too obvious, e.g. “password”, “p455w0rd”
- Use the company name, or the names of any employees
- Use the same password for more than two accounts
Do:
- Choose something completely unrelated to your business
- Mix capital letters, numbers, and even symbols (if permitted)
- Regularly update your passwords
2. Establish effective spam email filters
Whether you’re replying to an employee, closing a business deal, or simply ordering more office stationery, using email is likely to be an integral part of your company. What’s more, if you don’t protect yourself against spam emails, you’re setting yourself up to spend hours trawling through the junk. Implementing an effective spam filter is especially important if you use your account to store and discuss client information; leaking important financial details could ruin your reputation, and could even lose you customers. You should start by enabling your server’s built-in email filter, but for real results it’s worth investing in a professionally-designed filter package.
3. Train your employees
Unfortunately, a lot of internet hacks occur because of mistakes made within the company. It may be that one of your employees replied to a spam email, clicked on a harmful link, or chose a weak password to protect important information. Whatever the problem, this kind of thing is more common than many people think. Luckily, it only takes a brief training session to alert your team to the dangers of internet hacking! Make sure you regularly update your staff with internet safety guidelines, and let them know of any harmful threats as soon as you can.
If you really want to protect your business against online attack, the best option is to invest in a trusted filter. At MailCleaner, our anti-spam gateway offers a high level of protection and eliminates up to 99% of spam. No matter how many precautions you take against spam, installing professional software is undoubtedly the most effective method – especially when it comes to protecting your business.