As technology advances and more and more businesses are going online or using technology to run and be successful, there are more and more chances that customers can be scammed or their information can be stolen. If a business allows this to happen, they can be in serious trouble and may even have to close – but a good business with its customer’s best interests at heart will do everything in its power to stop them from being disadvantaged in any way. Here are some ways to do it so that your customers are protected.
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It may cost you more at the outset, but if you invest in a dedicated server that is used just for your business and it is set up to be completely secure, you will be helping out immensely when it comes to your customers’ safety. It will, of course, be cheaper to use a shared server, but the risk is too great that information could fall into the wrong hands, and if this were to happen, it would severely impact your business; after all, who would want to buy anything from a company who can’t keep customers’ data safe?
Sometimes, no matter how many safeguards you put in place, it can be your staff who let the process down. It’s unlikely that they would mean to do it, but if they haven’t been trained and the reasons given for the procedures they have to go through, they may simply make a mistake that they are not aware of. This could be leaving computers logged in and on display so that anyone could see the information on them, or even writing down passwords or customers’ bank details on a scrap of paper that is not securely disposed of when no longer needed. Giving your staff the training they need to help your customers is the best way to ensure that no one makes a mistake like this that could cost your business massively.
You might even choose to restrict access to some information only to those in a ‘need to know’ position. That way, there is even less chance of any information accidentally leaking out.
Whether you are running a brick-and-mortar store or an online business, customer payments are the most targeted and the most vulnerable of all the actions you are going to perform. If you can make these more secure by using applications such as Paypal or blockchain technology for cryptocurrencies such as bitcoin, this will prevent the dangers that online banking or even credit and debit card transactions have associated with them.
If you want to offer your customers payment options that include credit and debit cards, ensuring you have the right fraud identity management protocols in place will ensure that no mistakes happen and that all transactions are safe.
If, as many businesses do, you need to keep sensitive data and records in your office, leaving them unencrypted is always a potentially big issue. Data files can easily be encrypted for storage and for sending via the correct channels on the internet, and taking the time to ensure that this happens is well worth it.
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