As the majority of business transactions move online, whether through contactless payments or virtual terminals, the risk of hacking and data breaches is a major concern for businesses and consumers alike.
Any business that offers online payment processing is tacitly promising its consumers that each transaction is safe and that their personal information is protected both at the moment of purchase as well as in the future. That’s a big burden because it essentially assumes that every small business must now also become a cybersecurity expert.
Consumers are well trained to be thoughtful about strong passwords and are careful not to share too much of their personal data if they don’t have to. But the flip side of that expectation is that when they do choose to buy something or sign up for a service, they are trusting a company to protect their information from data theft. Encouraging your customers to use best practices when safeguarding their data, such as using strong unique passwords, paying more attention to links they click in an email to ensure they are legitimate, and using mobile wallets to pay for goods rather than paying a seller directly can help them protect their information.
Train Your Employees
People are one of the weakest links in cybersecurity. Train your employees to be suspicious of emails with unusual attachments that could contain a virus or other malware. Install software that filters out malware and other dangerous file types, and put processes in place that help educate your employees on how to protect your systems from outside hacking.
Protect Your Data
Protecting your customer’s data should be your top priority, and proper encryption of personal and payment information is one of the best ways to ensure that their data is secure. It’s a misconception that hackers want only credit card information; often thieves are also after identity-tracking information, including emails and addresses. Implementing a secure web gateway that identifies and blocks attempts to enter the system and encrypting your data both help keep your network secure.
Keep Your Software Updated
One of the easiest ways for a hacker to enter your system is through a security problem in your operating system or software for which a patch is available but has yet to be deployed. Having a process to keep your systems updated helps prevent hackers from capitalizing on these security fixes.
Ultimately, it is the responsibility of businesses to keep their customer’s information safe. Companies must remain constantly vigilant against threats or risk losing the consumers’ trust.
PayTech Trust offers secure merchant accounts and payment processing services for businesses of all sizes. With our collaborative suite of services and always-evolving best practices, PayTech Trust has the experience and expertise to arm your business with cutting-edge merchant solutions.
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