You juggle a lot in your business. From managing paychecks and your employees’ sensitive information to balancing your books, you’re constantly working with data any thief would want access to.
Although you probably already have a “see something, say something” policy in place, this might not be enough to keep everyone safe on the job. To protect everyone in your business and keep them safe from threat, here are a few important tips to follow.
Limit Computer Usage at Work
Do you have an employee who is itching to login and check her Facebook account? Not only is this a tremendous productivity waster, it’s also a security threat to your employee and business.
If your employee clicks on one wrong link while scrolling through her newsfeed, she could be sent to a malicious website. Soon, your private business information is being read, skimmed and stolen by hackers. Her identity could be compromised along with having all of your employees’ social security numbers and your business financials stolen.
Upgrade to Chip Payments
Cyber thieves are lurking around every connection point – your business’s data collection points included. To help protect your customers and your business’s reputation, you must take part in the nationwide switch away from magnetic stripe readers and toward chip readers.
With a new Europay, Mastercard Visa (EMV) reader, your business will not be held liable (or as liable) for costs and chargebacks brought on by fraudulent transactions. Consumers have already had their cards upgraded ready for this new reader. Now, to protect your business from fraud, you need the same. Instead of a thief stealing from your business, you will be able to avoid theft with more protection from the credit card companies.
Add Security to Your Store
An alarm system might seem obvious for your outside doors. After all, you don’t want someone breaking in after hours and stealing your inventory.
However, when considering theft, you must think bigger picture. For example, when your employees’ personal belongings are stored at work, are they kept behind a protected area? If not, you might need to install lockers to protect your employees from having their personal information stolen while on the job.
Back-up Your Data
So much of what franchises do today is online. This keeps financials and other private information safe from wandering eyes or grabbing hands.
Still, there is a threat to storing data online. If it’s lost, you could lose payment history, financial information, and other sensitive documentation. Backing up your data protects you from this threat.
Store your information on a separate computer offsite or in the cloud. Some of the most critical files to consider are your human resource files, accounts payable, and any other financial file.
Is Your Business Secure?
If you’re not sure, chances are there are some security measures you can still take to keep you and your employees a little safer. Make the necessary upgrades to protect your financial and human resource information from cyber and in-store theft.
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