The rise of the internet has affected all aspects of our lives in some shape or form, and it has had a particularly significant impact on shopping habits. No longer do shoppers have to go into stores in person and spend hours walking down the aisles and picking their way through racks and boxes. In 2022, the option of doing online orders from e-commerce vendors means you can pay for the products or services you want, and have them delivered to your home address within hours.
US shoppers simply love the efficiency of making orders from e-commerce retail outlets, and this consumer crazy was probably accelerated by the pandemic when we all had to stay at home and not mix in public. The revenue from the US retail e-commerce sector in 2021 was roughly 768 billion US dollars.
These days, there are more cybercriminals looking to steal your customers’ personal data than ever before, which is less than ideal when shopping online. As a result, we’ve come up with this piece on top cyber security tips for aspiring e-commerce entrepreneurs in 2022. Continue reading to learn more.
Do Regular Security Testing To Prevent Downtime On Your Site
If your online store’s web pages are constantly crashing, customers will be put off. Downtime will harm your e-commerce business and eat into your profit margins since online users cannot make any purchases when your site is not up and running like usual. Fuzzing (also known as fuzz testing) helps detect security vulnerabilities and software bugs. Fuzzing also helps keep your customers’ personal data secure, including their home address, email, telephone number, and banking details they input whenever buying something from you online. Therefore, fuzz testing is a vital part of the cyber security maintenance of your online stores, and we recommend you take this into account if you want to run a successful e-commerce business as a retail entrepreneur in 2022. If you are interested in finding out more, check out this guide to fuzzing from ForAllSecure, a company that delivers autonomous security testing solutions.
Install Robust Firewalls On Your Company Computer Systems
Having a robust and reliable network security system – that monitors the comings and goings of your network traffic – should protect your company computer system from harmful viruses, ransomware, bots, hackers, and malicious websites. These days, it’s very easy for you or any one of your staff members to use your company computers to put your business’s cyber security in danger simply by mistakenly clicking on insecure or malicious links. The internet is rife with cybercriminals and inappropriate content in 2022. However, strong firewalls should do an efficient job of blocking access to any malicious, insecure, or inappropriate online pages, which could jeopardize your online retail business’s safety.
When it comes to finding a network security package that works best for your e-commerce company, you need to shop around and do your research. There are thousands of companies out there today, all claiming to offer the best firewall security to help protect your business, so it’s worth waiting to find one that suits your needs and not leaping at the first one you come across.
Use Strong Passwords When Digitally Storing Important Files
Coming up with secure passwords, which are difficult to guess, is a fundamental cyber security tip. However, you’d be surprised at how many companies today still fail to do it. Password protect files containing important data on customers, clients, trusted business partners, and company accounts that you certainly wouldn’t want to fall into the wrong hands. It’s especially vital to password protect documents with details about your future business ideas and strategies because your competitors may steal your best business ideas if they can access them. Remember not to overlook basic cyber security practices and get ahead of yourself as an aspiring e-commerce entrepreneur. Be a business leader who takes choosing secure passwords seriously.
Let Investors Know Your Business Prioritises Cyber Security
Start-up businesses need to get money from investors in order to expand operations and grow at a healthy rate. However, meeting with potential investors and successfully persuading them to part with their money can always be challenging for aspiring entrepreneurs. Why should they invest in your company? What makes your e-commerce brand unique and different from the rest? Potential investors will have done their research and be fully aware of the importance of cyber security for businesses involved in the e-commerce industry. In meetings with investors, bring along prepared presentations on the practicalities behind your company’s cyber security tools and explain how they work in simple terms that are easy for the audience to digest. Winning over investors can be tricky, but it will do you know harm if you are able to get the message across that having high levels of cyber security is one of your e-commerce business’s top priorities.
Vet Candidates Properly In Your Recruitment Process
Data breaches can have a knock-on effect and cause the data of your new customers to be stolen, and you only have to look at examples of major data breaches in recent times and their repercussions. There have also been incidences in the past where hackers and cybercriminals have applied for roles with business organizations under false pretenses and then go on to steal their vital company data. Therefore, one of our top tips is to make sure you vet candidates for your vacancies properly during the recruitment process and before taking anyone on as a full-time employee. Vetting candidates may require you to do detailed background checks and get references from their previous employers. Although all this may seem a little extreme, you can never be too careful when it comes to doing your best to look after your business’s cyber security. After all, as an aspiring entrepreneur, you should be proud to represent your e-commerce company and want to do all you can to protect it.
Employ Tech Geeks To Boost Your Cyber Security Levels
As the owner of a growing e-commerce business and a new kid on the block, you learn that sometimes it’s best to leave it to the experts and employ people with professional expertise in a specific field. Your staff is the beating heart of your company, and you need to have the best, brightest minds on board. Therefore, you should try only employing the very best applicants for your vacancies and not bother with hiring individuals without the necessary qualifications, certificates, skills, and anyone who doesn’t have the right attitude. Employing top talent with relevant expertise in IT security issues is a great way to enhance your company’s cyber security measures and push ahead of your competitors in the retail e-commerce industry. Remember, it’s essential that your staff feel valued and appreciated for their hard work and dedication. You can motivate your IT employees by providing them with desirable rewards and incentives, including extra performance-based pay, free gym memberships, vouchers for popular stores, tickets for concerts and sporting events, and putting on fun work socials. A happy workforce tends to be considerably more productive and will do a better job to work hard to ensure your cyber security remains solid and your business intact.
Cyber security is something businesses operating in today’s digital world cannot afford to overlook and skip past. These are a few helpful cyber security tips and suggestions for ambitious aspiring e-commerce entrepreneurs to use as inspiration
