Hacking has been all over the news during the past couple of years. Many of the largest companies in the world have had the confidential info of their customers stolen by hackers. These criminals either sell this valuable data to a third party or they use it themselves to perpetrate identity theft. Needless to say, you must not allow something like this to happen to your new online business. A data breech of this magnitude would be impossible for you to overcome. People would not want to trust you with their personal info ever again. Here are a few of the primary reasons why security should be one of your top priorities when you are launching a startup.
1. Identity theft is on the rise.
One of the most popular crimes in the world is identity theft. This is where a criminal steals the social security number or some other valuable piece of identity info and uses it to steal that person’s identity. They will use this new identity to take out loans, open credit card accounts and do many other things to steal money. The person who had their identity stolen usually does not realize it until many months later. Identity theft is especially popular among hackers because all of these transactions can be performed online. This is why it is so imperative for you to protect the valuable data that your customers entrust you with.
2. People will stop buying things from you if they no longer trust you.
Trust is a very difficult thing for retailers to earn. You will have a hard time getting it back if your customers realize that you did not sufficiently protect their personal data from cyber criminals. Bad reputations are almost impossible to get rid of in the online business world. Allowing the personal data of your customers to be stolen by hackers will give you a reputation that could result in the failure of your business. This is why you will need to hire a cyber security expert. He will make sure you have all of the proper SSL certificates installed on your site.
3. New startups are often targeted by cyber criminals.
Hackers know that startups that just went online recently might not have the money to implement the best security measures. This is why hackers will often target these sites instead of the more established online businesses. The larger companies will most likely have a team of people to handle their online security and make sure their site is properly defended from cyber threats. This is something that the vast majority of startups will not have. Your new site will be viewed as an easy target by many hackers. This is why you must not let your guard down. Make sure you do not let the personal data of your customers become vulnerable. Talk to a cyber security expert to discuss all of the options that are available to you.
