23 Dec Four Cyber-safety Tips for the Holidays
The only thing flying higher than Santa’s sleigh this holiday season will be e-commerce, as shopping online continues its rise. This Christmas season more than 92 percent of holiday consumers will go online to research or purchase gifts.
Retailers can reap huge profits from their online stores, but they also run the risk of losing money and customers if their systems are breached. Non-retail businesses are also at risk during this season, as overall hacking activity increases during the holidays.
For retailers and other businesses seeking to limit their vulnerability to hackers over the holidays, these tips may help:
- Conduct cyber-security training – Make sure your employees know and use best security practices for managing your business’s computing resources, including using strong passwords, protecting password data, avoiding social engineering tactics like phishing, etc.
- Lock down wireless access points in your stores – Take the steps you need to secure wireless networks used in your store for point of sale and other applications. Set up firewalls and make sure that networks used for guest access to the Internet are separate from the ones used for sales and business purposes.
- Switch to cloud services – Cloud services help you stay ahead of hackers with frequent security updates. Cloud services can provide greater security and convenience for computers, email systems, servers, and phones.
- Use desktop virtualization – Insider activity can often be the source of data breaches, whether they are purposefully malicious acts by employees or inadvertent security lapses. Using virtual hosted laptops can help companies mitigate vulnerabilities by centralizing many functions and giving IT greater ability to monitor and limit employees’ activities with company computers.
CyberlinkASP provides a variety of information technology services, including managed hosting, hosted virtual desktops, and outsourced maintenance and software services. In business for nearly two decades, CyberlinkASP is the provider banks, hospitals, and other businesses trust for cloud and related services. To learn more, call (972) 262-5200.