How the Need for Online Security has Changed the Business World

Featured articles by Jacob Burns, Independent Technology Author

So much of the modern business world is now focused around computers. From the way colleagues distributed across countries or even continents can communicate in real-time to file storage solutions located in the cloud, firms are now more likely than ever to be online. But with the benefits of Internet business come the risks, and online security is also now high on the agenda. This article will look at how businesses have had to adapt to a risky new world of cybercrime, hacking, data loss and more.

Staff awareness

Many real-life cases of IT security breaches are entirely preventable, which means that their frequency is to some extent within your control. Encouraging your staff to follow basic Internet security practices – such as not logging into email accounts on unsecured public networks – is a good move, while you should also make sure they know not to download any attachments of uncertain origin from the Internet.

Employing experts

Sometimes, however, educating staff members about the principles of data security is not enough. Not all staff members are IT savvy, for example, and they may forget to follow these instructions even if they’re made very clear. And in some scenarios, there’s nothing that your staff can do to prevent problems because the issues involved are too technical.

That’s why hiring a network expert, at least on a part time or contract basis, is a good move. The professional contractor can check for any problem points, and it also means you’ll have someone on hand to respond swiftly in the event of a business-critical attack such as a ransomware incident. Some companies seek to avoid hiring a person in this way because of the high salary costs involved, and the extra admin burden, but any contractor pay issues can easily be managed by using an umbrella company.

An offline presence

Despite the fact that the Internet brings so much convenience when it comes to document sharing and information management, some companies are now choosing to go a little more back to basics. Given the high business costs if certain types of sensitive information were to leak (and that it’s never possible to guard against hackers and other prying eyes in a way that is 100% certain and guaranteed), some firms are now choosing to go partly offline.

Some companies, for example, institute a policy of only discussing the details of sensitive matters (such as employee performance, or pricing structures) at in-person meetings rather than via emails. Others choose to keep private spreadsheets – such as those chronicling salary data – offline. While this may not be practical for some firms (especially those who are distributed across several locations), it’s an online security solution which is increasingly being embraced by modern companies.

Online security is a huge issue now – especially for businesses, which often need to combine the best bits of the Internet with a way to mitigate the risks it can pose. For many business leaders, the ideal solution is a mixed approach: hiring some experts, training up staff and keeping some information away from the online world are all options to consider.