While the internet has afforded businesses many more opportunities than pre-internet days, it has also increased risk when it comes to storing, transferring, and using personal information and data of customers. With the rise of online hacking, data breaches, and identity theft, ensuring that your business has a cybersecurity plan in place is essential to minimize risk and to protect your customers and your company image.
Figure out What You Need to Protect
Creating a cybersecurity plan for your business first starts with determining what it is you want to protect. Are you trying to protect your website, customer data, or the processing of payment information on your e-commerce site? Are customers storing additional information or sensitive details in their account pages on your website that require protection? How is your email newsletter currently protected? Consider how users access your website and the type of information you collect, store, and use with transactions to determine what type of protection you require for your business online.
When developing a new cybersecurity plan for a business, it is also important to follow any rules, regulations, and laws that are currently in place to avoid fines or unexpected fees, especially when handling user or consumer data with your website. By planning and implementing policies, processes, and technology to meet the 110 controls in NIST 800-171, your organization will lower its cybersecurity risk automatically.
Educate Your Employees
Education is key when creating a cybersecurity plan for your business. After all, if your employees don’t know how to protect their data, then they’re likely to keep making mistakes that will make your business vulnerable. Host meetings to educate your employees on the new cybersecurity measures you are implementing along with measures that must be followed by all employees. It is also advisable to host training sessions for employees to help them become more familiar with new password restrictions as well as other cybersecurity measures you have implemented into your company.
Build Your IT Security Team
The internet is ever-evolving, which means security patches and updates are necessary on an ongoing basis. Building a professional IT security team is highly advisable, especially as you continue to grow and scale your business. If you feel confident in what you want, then you can hire your own employees to build your own team, but most businesses outsource their IT to contractors, as making a bad hire can be worse than if you had done nothing at all.
Creating a cybersecurity plan for your business does not have to feel tedious or overwhelming, even if you are unfamiliar with today’s cybersecurity measures and standards. By following standard procedures and plans and by building your very own IT security team, you can help ensure that your business and customers are protected from potential online threats.
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