In today’s high pressure world of business, it seems that everyone is doing whatever they can to stay top dog, or become one. It is no longer enough to simply be good at what you do, you have to be better than anyone else. This has led to some shady practices by some businesses that includes finding ways to snoop into a competitor’s business. Whether it is hacking into their computer to access the emails and financial records of a competitor or actually hiring people to sort through the trash for old letters, you can bet that if you are in a cutthroat industry someone is watching you. While you probably can’t stop everything they do, you can take steps to prevent the most obvious security breaches.
Keep Your Correspondence Private
It is all too easy for someone to get their hands on the emails and letters you have at your place of business. Even the most innocent of letters can be trouble if they end up in the wrong hands. Let’s say you are a company in Houston Texas that provides washroom services to local offices. If your competitor wants to outdo you, they need to know what you bid for services and what you pay for the goods you use. They just may offer money to an employee to give them this information. A simple thing like hiring one of the well known shredding services Houston offers can cut this quickly. You may think you have it covered with the in house little shredders, but do you? Counting on the honesty of your employees can cost you bids.
Protect Your Data
Whether we are talking about the information on your websites or the data you have stored at the office, it is vulnerable to attack. You can protect it by encrypting the important data you have and also making sure all security software is up to date. If you use across-the-wire transfers to make payments to vendors, you will want to double check that your transfers are protected with all the bells and whistles you can muster. This is especially true if you keep your financial data in The Cloud, as many businesses do these days. Don’t just go for the security that comes with the software, add another layer on your most important data to ensure it is difficult to hack.
Make Thorough Background Checks Before Hiring
Sometimes when we interview someone for a new position, we find a candidate that is almost too good to be true. They are perfect for the job, are over-qualified but seem eager to start and are just plain nice folks. At least, that is what it seems from the surface. No matter how great that new candidate may seem, always check their references thoroughly before hiring them. That person may be too good to be true because they are setting you up for a scam. Before you make the plunge, check them out thoroughly to ensure that what you see is indeed what you will get.
Follow these three keys to keeping your business secure and you will find that while others complain of hackers, bad employees and missing data, you are sailing smooth. Good security doesn’t just happen. If we want it for our business we need to make it happen by planning ahead. It is always worth the extra effort.