Think Sales has it right when they debated whether or not it was really all that bad to lose a customer over gaining a new customer.

The truth is it can cost anywhere up to 5 times more to land a new customer vs retain an old one.

Which is why you really want to minimize the risk of losing customers unnecessarily. One of the most important assets your business will need to protect is your client information.

Not only will a breach be outrageously costly in terms of suits, software recovery, and a few other consequential expenses. But it will also tarnish your brand trust. Which is something no business entity wants to face.

Take a breath, we have got your back.

Looking frantically to find a way to protect your clients information in light of an emergency? Want to find a way to prevent this happening? You are in the right place. That’s exactly what we are going to be discussing in this article.

Surely My Business Won’t Be A Target?

If you are reading this, I am going to assume you already know that your business will be a target.

But just in case you are having doubts, remember cybercrime is only on the rise. There is a huge misconception that smaller businesses are less at risk. The fact is, that could not be further from the truth.

You are a target regardless of the size of operations. Which is why you need to determine effective policies, and procedures to protect not only your information; but your clients information as well.

Enforce Strong Digital Security Policies In The Workplace

Chances are medium, and large corporations have a secure room for their servers. Granted, physical security – and natural disasters still have their risk element attached, it is not likely that cyber criminals will hack their way through an iron door.

But, on the other hand – you do have an achilles heel – your employees.

They are at the forefront of your operations. They handle client information, and business critical information all the time. Which is why it is important to train them on the latest forms of cybercrime, and how to prevent falling victim.

It is also a good idea to employ a strong password policy in the workplace.

Have A Data Backup And Recovery Process In Place

Regardless of whether it was a storm, a robbery, or cybercrime – once your data is gone, the only way to get it back would be to spend a fortune.

Ransom attacks could cripple your business before it even gets a chance to stand independant.

This is why, when it comes to protecting your information, your first priority as it were would be to implement data backup and recovery procedures into your daily operations. If you’re not sure how to do this, it may be best to contact a managed it service provider in Lincoln or wherever your company is located. Until your data security is breached, you may not realize the importance of doing this. But, why wait till that happens?

Having said that, you have plenty of options when it comes to choosing various backup systems and recovery applications. You also get to choose between cloud, and physical data security hubs. Personally, I would suggest going with a hybrid of both.

Here is a step by step guide explaining everything you need to know about data recovery, and backup.

Limit Employee Access To Reduce Risk

Now, I have nothing against your employees. I just know from my own rooky days – well, the smallest user mistake could cost a business fortunes.

Which is why it may be a good idea to limit the access that they have to customer information on a “as needed” basis.

This ensures that you can keep track of who can access what information. Which means if something were to go amiss – you could have a more accurate idea of who fell victim, and come up with countermeasures to prevent it in the future.

It is also considered good practise to change all company critical information after letting an employee go. They may get the wrong idea, and cause some havoc for you. Rather be safe than sorry as it were.

Employ Proper Security Measures On Your Website

7 out of 10 organizations just had their risk profile increased in the last year. One of the big reasons behind this is not keeping up to date in white hat techniques to protect themselves. Another is failure to prioritize the security of their website.

Your online assets can be a goldmine for a hacker who knows their business.

Employ SSL Encryption

You know now and then, you open up a website, and it has a nifty “Secure” label on the top left of your URL. I don’t know about you, but this makes me feel safe. Because I know SSL encryption is a security measure to protect my information from potential lurkers.

From improving your SEO rankings, developing brand trust, and helping with analytics. Right down to protecting your clients information – SSL is really a necessity for your online asset.

Here a host of other web-based cyber protection tips to help you ramp up your defense against those nasty cybercriminals.