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6 Steps to Better Security For Your Web Site
August 21, 2007

Security for your web site is imparative to your business.  Being hacked can jeopardize your business, your reputation and your sanity.  When researching what you need to do to protect yourself, here are 6 must-haves:

1. Chose a well established and proven hosting provider.  Example is HostICan.com (recommended on many community boards as a good host) and it provides 99.9% uptime guarantee, plus a risk free money-back guarantee if you're not satisfied.  Also, look for the BBBonline logo for the Better Business Bureau.
2. Be sure they have tight physical security where they house the servers.  Also verify that they perform regular back-ups.  They should list on their site that they have nightly backups and 24/7/365 server monitoring.  Ask your chosen provider if you don't see that listed.
3. Watch out for unusual activity or a sudden spike in activity.  This could be a clue that you've been hacked and someone is using your identity to send out spam.
4. When collecting personal information and credit cards, have a SSL [Secure Sockets Layer] or TLS [Transport Layer Security].  This helps to prevent eavesdropping, tampering and forgery.  When your customers are providing sensitive information on your web site, they usually look for the little padlock icon at the bottom right of their screen.
5. Restrict employee activity and change your password often.  Don't use a password that's easy to figure out.  Use one that has a combination of letters, numbers and exclamation marks.
6. Consider hiring an IT security professional to review your site, especially if you work with a lot of financial data. 

Posted by Suze Bragg on August 21, 2007 | Comments (0)