You put your time, money, and heart into your business. Of course, you want to protect your hard work. Unfortunately, not all business owners protect themselves from thieves and hackers. There are a lot of things that need extra protection in a business, such as, equipment, intellectual property, inventory, data, records, documents, legal information, and banking information. Whether your business is brick-and-motor or online only, there are steps you can take to better secure your valuables.

Here is a list of 10 simple ways to protect your business:

  1. Lock & key: Theft can happen to anyone, especially when our guards are down. Make a habit of locking up your valuables. If you have a retail store, keep track of who has physical keys and when and why someone is near your valuables without you there. In the online realm, make sure your passwords are strong and changed often. Think of passwords as your ‘keys’ for your computer. Know who has your passwords and make sure they are different. Change your keys and passwords if an employee resigns. Also, restrict access to confidential file cabinets and password protect electronic records.
  2. Stay up to date: Be sure to update your computer’s operating system when they become available. In fact, you can set your computer to automatically install updates so that you don’t forget. Manufactures of these systems often add safeguards with their updates.
  3. Cellphones: Don’t forget that cellphones, like computers, should be secured. Private phones are more susceptible to a hacker than phones that are linked to a company network.
  4. Change to HTTPS: Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure (HTTPS) is a safe communications protocol that builds an extra layer of security between your website and server. This ensures that information that is exchanged on your site is secure.
  5. Accidents: If your business is brick-and-mortar, accidents can happen in your store. Make sure to get proper insurance in case a customer or employee takes a fall, or has another accident that leaves them injured. Having insurance with safeguard you from a lawsuit that could ruin your business.
  6. Employee agreements: When you hire someone, make sure that your new employee agrees that they will not steal any confidential information or company secrets. It’s a good idea to consult a lawyer on this topic, so that you can ensure everything pertinent to your specific business is included in your agreement.
  7. Email: Beware of phishing in your company email. Hackers attach ransomware in these phishing emails. They can steal your information and hold it ransom until you pay for its return. Make sure to inform your staff never to open anything unless they were expecting it from someone they trust.
  8. Backup Frequently: Back up all their files often. If you are hit with ransomware, you can avoid having to pay hefty fines to restore your files if you already have them backed up.
  9. Intellectual Property: Take measures to protect your intellectual property, and make sure you or your staff doesn’t infringe on any existing copyright or patent.
  10. Get Clean Internet! Clean Internet protects your business with advanced anti-virus software and the web filtering tools. With Clean Internet, you will have a friendly, knowledgeable staff to help you get the security you need for your business. Our technology provides real-time updates to the latest threats, monitors all web activity, and filters/blocks pornography and inappropriate websites. To learn more about how we protect businesses, call (219) 728-5030 or email us at: You can also fill out this form. We look forward to hearing from you!