Taking Your Small Business Online: What Security You Need in Place

by Steve Conway, freelance writer.

E-commerce allows businesses of different sizes to connect with potential customers directly. It allows even small businesses to generate thousands – if not millions – in sales, even when there are big enterprises operating in the same market.

The lucrative nature of e-commerce and the wealth of opportunities it brings certainly make setting up an online storefront more appealing, especially to small businesses. On top of that, online businesses have limited overhead costs and can operate more efficiently.

While setting up an e-commerce site is easy, there are more things to consider before taking your small business online. Security is one of those things, and it is this component of setting up an online business that we will discuss below.

Server Security

The first thing you want to do is make sure that you are using a secure server for your online business. This usually means opting for a hosting service that gives you more control over security rather than a shared hosting plan; the latter is more suited for personal users rather than businesses.

You don’t have to be an expert server administrator to create a safe cloud environment for your business. There are managed services and third-party service providers that specialize in cloud server setup and maintenance.

A secure server or cloud environment allows you to secure both business and customer information. You can include redundancies as extra security measures too. Add meticulous access control to the mix and you are ready to move on to the next step.

Terminal Security

The devices you use to access your server as administrators must also be secure. More importantly, the network from which you access the server needs to be protected. This is where endpoint security comes in handy.

Using solutions like McAfee Endpoint Security, you can protect the terminals used to access your server with the help of a complete endpoint security suite. The suite includes more than just an antivirus. It has a built-in firewall and an antimalware integrated into the solution.

Endpoint security solutions also take the concept of early detection and attack prevention to a new level. These solutions use machine learning to help identify attacks based on patterns and past instances. Endpoint Detection and Response or EDR becomes a practical concept that any business can implement.

Data Security

The big question surrounding the need for endpoint security remains the same. Why is it important to protect the business network down to the last device or endpoint? The answer is data security. As we all know, the number of cyberattacks that specifically target data is growing rapidly.

Endpoint security doesn’t just protect devices against malware and attacks. It also protects the data stored on those devices from additional security risks. To enhance data security even further, you can integrate encryption and backup as additional security measures.

Once these three elements are integrated, your business will have the ability to protect its data and critical business information. Transitioning an offline-only business to an online entity becomes easier when the necessary security measures are already in place.

Author:
Steve Conway is a content marketing professional and inbound marketing expert. Previously, Steve worked as a marketing manager for a tech software start-up. He is passionate about discovering new software that will that will advance his already well-honed digital marketing techniques.