While there are many threats that a business needs to take into account, cybercrime is often one of the most serious and yet also most overlooked. With a large proportion of business activities being carried out online, from financial transactions to product development and communication, taking steps to protect your business is essential. Read on for some of the best ways that you can do this.

Use a secure network

Accessing the internet is a must for any business, from solo freelancers to large corporations. It is also easier than ever to get online, with a prevalence of free hotspots, Wi-Fi connections, and other forms of connection available both in public and in private locations.

However, free, public connections such as a Wi-Fi service in a local coffee shop are often easily exposed to the threat of hacking. When accessing any kind of secure information such as private messages, emails, or financial information, it’s best to avoid using them entirely. Instead, always make sure that you are using a secure, password-protected network, which is much more difficult to breach.

Use a firewall

Alongside using a password-protected network, adding a firewall can significantly enhance your protection. Firewalls operate by creating a secure system that assesses and controls all traffic, both incoming and outgoing. You can establish which sites can be accessed and limit others that may pose a potential risk, thus reducing the likelihood of accessing sites that may contain potentially harmful content, such as exposing your system to a virus.

You should also be aware of the security of any online applications or tools you use, as many do not allow you to use them when paired with a firewall. For team collaboration tools, for instance, mattermost.com is a great alternative to many others, as it allows users to host the service behind your own firewall, ensuring that you can stay confident that all of your collaborative work is kept safe.

Promote good security practices

While you can install software and tools to enhance your business’ security online, this can often be undone if people are unaware of their actions and may end up inadvertently exposing themselves and the business to risk. To keep your organization as safe as you can, it’s a good idea to carry out regular security training to make sure that all of your staff are fully aware of the dangers that they need to avoid, and how they can contribute to a safer work environment.

Some good practices that are useful to keep in mind include regularly changing passwords and ensuring that they are not easily guessed. A mix of letters, numbers, and special characters in a long-phrase is an ideal format for a password. If people are working remotely, employees should also be briefed on the risk of using free or public Wi-Fi connections. Having a secure VPN, or virtual private network can be a better way of staying safe for remote working.