Owning an online store can be a fabulous and lucrative venture in today’s marketplace. With so many sales and transactions taking place online, it can seem like the very best place for you to set up shop. But, while owning an online store can certainly lead to success, it also opens the door to cyber threats, something that is far too common today.
Statistics show that, by the year 2023, the United States will account for half of the breached data around the world, which is about 33 billion records. Not only that, but such things as malware are also on the rise, becoming more and more common.
So, know these threats exist and are just waiting to target your online store. But, what can you as a business owner do to protect from cyber threats? Here are some tips you can implement.
Make Sure the E-Commerce Platform You Use is Trusted
One of the first steps in ensuring your online store is secure is to ensure it resides on a trusted e-commerce platform. When you pick a platform that specializes in e-commerce this also means they are the one dealing with the cyber threats and security issues and ensuring it doesn’t affect their clients, which is you. It can be well worth your time to shop around and check out the various platforms before you decide on one.
Perform Updates as Offered
Another tip is to make sure you stay on top of all updates. Any time an update to the software is offered, it’s important you do them right away. It is the sites that don’t stay updated that are targeted most often.
Make Sure to Use Secure Sockets Layer
While this may sound a bit technical, it’s relatively simple. You want to use a website that uses HTTP with SSL (secure sockets layer), which will mean it has an HTTPS address. This creates an encrypted link between the web browser and server, protecting your site and your customers in turn.
Choose Strong Passwords
When you are first set up with your e-commerce platform, you are typically given default passwords to use. Unfortunately, these tend to be very simple and, therefore, very easy to hack. Make sure you use passwords that are difficult and change them on a regular basis.
Is It Worth the Investment?
All these efforts to protect your online store from cyber threats will obviously result in some sort of costs, which can leave you wondering if it’s worth the investment. If you have made the choice to earn money online working from home, you need to be aware of what your profit margins are. You can use the profit margin calculator tool from Oberlo to see if you will make money online and identify exactly how much funds you have available to invest back into the business.
A Successful and Cyber Threat Wise Business
By following these tips, you’ll be well on your way to owning a successful and secure online store.
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