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Last Updated on January 20, 2024 by Work In My Pajamas
Running a home business is hard! You don’t have a lot of help. You need to focus on managing your website, your social media accounts, and providing the product or service for which you are known. Since your business is so independent, hiring an IT consultant is probably out of the question. So what are you going to do to keep your business safe on the internet? How are you going to protect your client information and maintain the security of your website? Fortunately for you, there’s several simple steps you can take to create a line of defense against security breaches.
- Be smart about your passwords
Something as simple as a password has the potential to change everything. If any average Joe was trying to access your website, payment system, or social media profiles, what would be the first thing he would do? He’d try easy, predictable passwords. It’s the simplest way to gain entry. Not only should you use complicated passwords that incorporate uppercase characters, lowercase characters, symbols, and numbers, but you should also change all of your passwords every few weeks.
- Use the right software
It doesn’t matter what you to do keep intruders barricaded from the outside if they’re getting their information from the inside. The computer you work from has access to everything. This is the place where you store your important files. Because of this, you need to use top of the line antivirus and antimalware software. When you’re busy working, you may feel tempted to click the “postpone update” button when the prompt comes up. You can’t afford to do this. Set your protective software to update at the end of your working day, whenever updates become available.
- Keep backups
What happens if you have a tech disaster, and all of the information you need to maintain your business is wiped away? It would be almost impossible for you to start over. Keep an external hard drive full of backups of all of your vital information. Set a day each week to update this external drive with new or revised information. When you aren’t using it, disconnect it from your device and store it someplace safe, like a lockbox.
- Protect your WiFi
If you work with wireless internet, that internet is yours and only yours. Don’t make the mistake of leaving it open. Change your router’s settings to prevent it from broadcasting the SSID, which is the network name. Others won’t be able to see your network to attempt to access it. You should also password protect your router, using the same set of strict standards you would for any other password protected device or account.
- Be careful how you work from mobile devices
If you work from your phone or a tablet, especially if you do so remotely, it’s important that you encrypt the data on this device. You’ll need to install extra security to prevent your data from being accessed when you’re using public WiFi, such as the network at a hotel or restaurant. Make sure you password protect your phone in the event that it’s lost or stolen to prevent thieves from gaining access to your banking information.
A lot of passion and dedication goes into running a home business. It’s difficult work, especially when you’re doing it all on your own. The last thing you need is some adamant criminal attempting to sabotage you. You can’t afford to go without proper online security. It’s the difference between building your future and losing everything.
Good tips to secure yourself on internet world. I use PureVPN for complete internet security and anonymity. Good for unblocking websites and fast streaming too.