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You must do all you can to shield your business at every single stage. Startups are easy pickings for hackers and for copyright theft alike. You have fewer resources and protections to safeguard your business from the sharks that idle right next door. Thankfully, there are many easy to use and very accessible tools and tricks you can use to improve your security whether you are a small business, or a brand new, disrupting start-up.
From training to the right security programs, here is your complete guide to get you started:
Secure Your Connections
The first thing that you are going to want to do is ensure that your internet connection is secured. There is a reason why you should be very wary of free, open Wi-Fi channels and why you should never input sensitive data while connected to one. Investing in secure connections is just the tip of the iceberg, but it must be done first for the rest of your efforts to be useful.
Secure Your Endpoints
Even with the strongest connection in your office, you cannot control what happens outside of your office. That is why you need to secure your endpoints. Endpoints refer to the devices that your employees and guests use of their own that they may take home.
You can secure endpoints with specialized endpoint protection software, as well as by training your employees to know security risks and how to avoid them. Only when you are all working together can you avoid the biggest brunt of attacks.
Protect Your Intellectual Property Rights
Protecting your data will naturally go a long way towards protecting your property rights and any plans you have in the pipeline, but that only extends to external threats. You must also work to protect yourself legally by using the strictest software to protect deals that are currently underway from the other party, and even from some jumpstart employees.
This isn’t to say you cannot trust your employees, but when it is so easy to cover all of your bases there is no reason not to protect yourself. A virtual deal room works to limit access to certain documents, adds a watermark, and even allows you to customize the NDA agreement for all parties. Such a simple solution should never be underestimated. Not only will it deter bad behavior, but it will also work to keep your entire deal above board.
Secure Your Employees
Using custom logins for each employee will allow you to control what they have access to, as well as let you limit the damage that a hack on their account can cause. Other ways to secure your employees are again through that training, but also by offering them an easy solution like a login key to a password manager so that they can use unique passwords easily for everything.
Secure Your Future
The entire nature of security is to be one step ahead. To always be stronger than your appointment. Your shield must not break upon an attack, but if you become lax in your efforts it will become brittle and any weak points will be spotted and abused. That is why you must carry out regular security audits, keep your systems updated, provide regular training, and always aim to be one step ahead of everyone so that your business can continue and grow.
