Negosentro| How To Create a Secure Company |Creating a company can be as easy as making a profile on an online shopping website and listing items for sale, but creating a secure company has many more steps and concerns. Focusing on security can protect you from data breaches, fraud and liability damages to keep your company going strong. There are five main areas you should focus your efforts on from the moment you open your doors and build on the tools and tricks you learn as the company grows.
Banking and Payment Scams
Banking and payment scams can include malicious actors using stolen payment methods at your storefront or your online portals, the breach of your personal or company banking data and even fake pay stubs being offered for use in your payroll processes. It is a good idea to know how to spot these fakes through checking bank cards against identification, ensuring that your payment portal requires the card security code and knowing what features are difficult to copy on real IDs, checks or currency.
Cyber Security and Attacks
Cyber security concerns are among the most heavily reported because they can feature the information from hundreds or thousands of entities around the world. Having password, cell phone and social media policies in place can help safeguard your company from breaches in those areas, while firewalls and attack detection software can keep IT portals more secure.
Home Office and Remote Work Concerns
More companies are either starting out in someone’s home or shifting to a remote work model to keep up with the technology and markets. This can offer unique concerns as employees working from home will need access to company files and databases, may have devices used for both work and personal needs and may not have a way to keep others off devices. Some things remote workers and companies alike can do to better secure home offices include having strict policies regarding storing passwords on devices, having separate computers for work and home use and how to connect to the company network.
Visitor and Physical Security
The physical security of your building, employees and visitors should also be considered. Audio and visual cameras placed at doors and in secure areas, with notifications posted, can be a good deterrent for would-be-thieves as well as for insurance scams. Mechanical keys are a security concern that many miss in this age of technology, but having up-to-date key control policies and knowing how many copies there are of each key, and who has them, can limit unauthorized access to important areas such as safes, file rooms and the front door. Visitor logs and escorts can help keep unauthorized people out of secure areas as well as give you an idea of who is in the building.
Employee and Contractor Risks
Those you employ and do business with can be security risks, whether they are doing it on purpose or not. Passwords can be compromised, computers unattended and unlocked, and the cybersecurity of your out-sourced services contractors can impact your data and drives. It is important to completely wipe any hard drives you get rid of before the contractor takes them for recycling or reuse, to thoroughly shred important documents and to know the people who refill your vending machines. The bigger the company, the harder it can be to account for vendor, contractor and employee risks, but breaking up sensitive tasks so more than one person is needed to complete it, assigning floor marshals assigned with knowing vendors and greeting visitors, and thoroughly vetting contractors can go a long way.
Creating a secure company means starting from the basics and expanding out into the specifics. You should focus on the people, the places and the things to create policies covering employees and visitors, secure rooms and recording equipment, and passwords, mechanical keys and data throughout your company. The more secure your business is, the less likely you are to be the victim of fraud or theft and the better protected you are from criminal and financial liability.
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