As many companies online are learning, having a bad reputation is a majorly negative mark on you in the eyes of your potential customers and clients.
Every year, estimates say that companies are losing $500 billion because of damaged reputations or problems with public perception of their brand. If you’re storing your data in the cloud, you might think that you’re taking an even higher risk or putting yourself in a tough position.
Thankfully, storing in the cloud is safer than keeping your information onsite where it could be hacked or stolen. Here are four ways to ensure that your move to the cloud results in higher security.
1. Start With Strong Passwords
While every password system will implore you to make a strong password that can’t be guessed, most people will use the easiest password to remember. Strong passwords are important but the easiest password to remember might be easiest to guess.
If your systems aren’t founded on strong passwords, you might have a system that’s ready to be totally taken over by hackers. Creating memorable and unhackable passwords is easier than your staff would think.
Give them a crash course as part of their standard training. The basic tips and hints are to create made-up words or combine words that are important to them. If your favorite dessert is a jelly doughnut, try combining the words into something a little bit goofy and incomprehensible.
Add numbers that aren’t related to a phone number, social security, or address. Most of all, don’t use the same passwords over and over, as you’ll be giving people around you the opportunity to hack one password and have them all.
If you’re skeptical about using cloud providers, take some time to learn more about how they can protect you better than physical servers.
2. Use a Password Manager
It can be a struggle to remember all of the passwords that you’re using for all different services. However, it’s essential to use a wide variety of different passwords for every service that you use.
That’s when a password manager can come in handy. A password manager locks all of your passwords into a vault held by a master password. Instead of having to remember every single password, your cloud storage can be held behind a master password.
Upon entry of this password, your credentials to protected websites will be populated into any password protected site. The apps that you and your staff use for reputation management can be as tightly encrypted and password protected as possible.
Password managers are a strong tool for reputation managers who need to use cloud data storage. It might be intimidating to store your data on the cloud. With a password manager, it will be under your control.
3. Two-Step Authentication is a Smart Choice
One of the best developments in cybersecurity in recent years has been the use of two-step authentication. Also known as two-factor verification, this added step adds an exponential layer of security.
Once the initial password is entered, a code is then sent to a device that’s connected to the system. This code is then entered into the website to confirm the identity of the actual person logging in.
Many of the second factors are placed under a tie limit. This will require someone to get to their phone within a couple of minutes to enter a code that will expire. It takes time for hackers to get into a system, often several hours to guess a password.
Even with “brute force” hacking, meaning when you try to get in via a sequence of numbers like “0001”, “0002”, “0003”, it can take a while to get in. If your team is outfitted with two-step factor authentication, you’ll keep attackers out of your system.
They’ll have to get ahold of your staff’s phone or devices in order to get into the system. Your reputation will be safe and secure when information is stored in the cloud if you implement this kind of authentication.
4. Encrypt Your Data
Depending on the system that you use, encrypting your information can happen at the press of a button. By turning on data encryption, all data is stored via a key and lock system that is unique to you and your system. If you suspect that your data could be hacked and accessed by an outside connection, you could save yourself the stress with encryption.
Mac and Windows have encryption built into their systems. With Mac’s Disk Utility or Windows’ BitLocker, you’ll have all of the information encrypted.
If you rely on a reputation management company, you might not always trust even the best companies in the industry. It’s your right to be paranoid, as nearly 30 million small businesses in the U.S. report having been hacked in recent years.
While the convenience of storage might be missing from this new reality, it’s important that your business takes this seriously.
If you’re storing your reputation data in the cloud, it’s especially sensitive to being hacked. Many companies will spend hundreds of thousands of dollars just to fix a damaged reputation. One hack can send your competitors skyrocketing because of their ability to protect client information.
You’ll lose profits through a perception that you don’t take security seriously. Depending on your industry, you could also reveal that your system is rife with opportunities to be hacked and in violation of federal or state requirements.
Storing in the Cloud Makes Sense
If your reputation data is stored in the cloud, you could be more protected than you think. Cloud storage is employing the highest standard in security in the modern era. With the help of a service provider, you can ensure that your system is well suited to take advantage of cloud solutions.
If you want help restoring your reputation following a breach, check out our latest guide.