How Secure is your Website Host?
In a world where much of business activity often takes place in the digital world, you need to be sure that you are secure. That doesn't mean just protecting yourself from viral attack but keeping customers details secure enough so that they feel you are reliable enough to do business with.
There is nothing that can damage a company's reputation as quickly as losing valuable data to mysterious third parties. There have been many recent examples of this including TalkTalk so it shows how real this problem can be! It's the data which is often the most valuable asset of the website such as customer details and information that can be re-sold easily. Below we have highlighted just some of the areas that you need to look for when choosing your website host.
What Hackers Do
All platforms, even the well-known ones like WordPress, have inherent weaknesses. It's a constant battle as new virus and malware is created to make sure that customers remain safe. Thousands of attacks on business take place every month of which the majority are in the US and the UK.
Not all hackers are out to steal your data for financial gain. There are simply some people who like to disrupt services and these can be just as damaging to a business as attacks aimed at identity or data theft. Billions of pounds are exchanged for goods every day on the internet so you can see why someone would like to find a way to get at all that money.
Look for SFTP Instead of Just FTP
File Transfer Protocol or FTP is the method you use to upload files to your site. Whilst this is normally quite secure for most web sites, you may want to go that little bit further and ask if your host uses SFTP or Secure File Transfer Protocol. This extra layer of digital protection makes sure your files can't be changed or interrupted when you are uploading.
The Right Virus Software and Firewall
There are a number of virus software packages and you want to be sure your web host has the best available. A program such as ClamV works with your cPanel and can search emails and suspicious files for viruses. You also need a good Firewall for your site – it's usually the first and most important line of defense.
SSL and All That Jazz
If you've been working on line for a while you'll have come across SSL. It stands for Secure Sockets Layer and it is designed to encrypt data sent to and from your computer. You can usually recognize a sight that has it as a small padlock appears at the bottom of your desktop. If you run an ecommerce sight then SSL is a must have option to protect data such as customer credit card details.
Server Maintenance
To make sure that your host keeps you safe from outside attacks by malicious individuals, they should be running regular maintenance. If you are not sure what they are up to then ask for a schedule of the tasks they regularly perform. You should also be backing up your data on an ongoing basis and most web hosting companies provide a facility for doing this on their control panel. Often this is a paid feature on many web hosts so it's always worth checking before signing up!
Passwords and Keeping Up-to-Date
Maintaining a high level of security for your website is not just all about the right host with the appropriate tools. Businesses themselves need to be on the ball. Make sure that you have the most up-to-date version installed and ensure that you operate a robust password policy for those who use the system.
Security is a growing problem in the online world, not only for large corporations but smaller businesses who think they may not need to bother too much with security. Much malware works automatically, searching the online world for weaknesses without a care as to who they are targeting. If you think that you are safe, then think again. If you are not sure that your host is providing the best security for your business then it could be time to shop around for someone better.