Does My Business Need an Online Presence?
From a business perspective, the Internet can be a risky space. Many often wonder whether their business needs an online presence. It doesn’t matter if you are marketing your products or services, receiving online orders, or simply doing business research. You know that having an online presence is crucial to your business. In fact, 70% of internet users ages 55-64 say they’ve bought something online in the past month, according to data from Hootsuite’s Digital 2020 Report. 37% of those users plan to continue doing so even after the pandemic is over.
The Internet has been a game-changer for all businesses because it allows for easier access for customers to reach them. Getting an online presence has never been easier. Just open your smartphone and start surfing or fire up your laptop and connect to your Wi-Fi hotspot. If you aren’t using the Internet in some fashion, you can pretty much guarantee that your competition is. Additionally, it’s ensured that your customers and prospective customers are online. If you’re not online in some way for them to find or interact with you, they’ll simply move on to your competition. Studies show that 87% of shoppers begin product searches on digital channels. Furthermore, 71% of consumers are more likely to make a purchase based on social media referrals.
Being part of the global digital workplace isn’t an option any longer since almost everything is online these days. As the above statistics show, it’s a necessity for any business to survive and thrive. So how do you lessen the risk that comes with being on the Internet?
Only Keep the Data You Need
Keeping extraneous data because “you might need it someday” could put your business at risk of a breach, compliance fines, and loss of brand reputations. Always check with the compliance and government standards in your area to ensure what you need to keep, and what you can destroy. One general rule is to ask yourself these questions:
- “Is the data critical?”
- “Should the data be considered a permanent document?”
- “Is the data proprietary intellectual property?”
- “Does the data serve the current needs of the business?”
If the answer is no to these questions, it is probably best to delete it.
Invest in Cyber Awareness Training for Staff
Most importantly, for you and your staff, it is important to know that there are people out there who want to steal your information. Cyber criminals will target businesses by trying to trick them into giving up valuable information. Further, they might even push them into downloading malware to deliver a big ransomware payout. Knowing what these tricks look like and how to avoid them is a big part of protecting your business from cyber crime.
Hire a Cyber Security Firm to Take Care of the Details
Finally, running your business is your specialty, but that doesn’t necessarily make you a specialist in cyber security. Just like you would hire a bookkeeper to help keep tabs of your finances, hiring a cyber security expert to help you manage the risks associated with an online business just makes sense.
You don’t have to do it all alone. Quick Intelligence’s Quick Protect service is meant to help keep your business safe from cyber risk. Our cyber security experts will ensure your business is protected to allow you to develop an online presence while focusing on what you do best: running your business.
Contact us today!
https://quickprotect2.com/contact/
