The year 2018 has seen hackers emboldened by their skills. As a result, they have taken aim at social media giants with millions of personal information of people all over the world. This has led to an increase in the importance of cybersecurity departments in business entities and a spike in the employment of people with highly in demand security skills.

As a business connected to the internet to reach an increasingly online customer and to create a strong online presence and brand, it is important that business owners now seriously consider the threats that they face regarding digital privacy. A breach in digital privacy leads businesses to lose customer appeal, trust and eventually they shut down.

Following are few tips that a business owner can easily apply to ensure that their company’s digital privacy is protected.

Using a Private Browser Window

This is one of the simplest methods to ensure that you are on the internet privately. Using a private browser window is an option allowed by the most commonly used web browsers. Whether you are using Firefox or Chrome for your browsing needs, you can easily choose the private browser mode and you will have protected your digital privacy.

Using the private browser windows ensures that your browsing history is not saved. Therefore, it becomes difficult for the websites you visited to follow and monitor your activities on the internet.

Internet marketing tactics that predict or identify you as a potential customer based on the websites you visit and items and links that you click on and websites that sell your digital information to marketers have increased the likelihood of being tracked and monitored while online.

Using a private browser window on your web browser protects you from these snoops and ensures that the digital privacy of your business is unlikely to be breached.

Use Passwords

To some, passwords are a waste of time. As a business, you should always ensure that you password-protect both your online profiles and your business hardware for example laptops, tablets, and phones.

Passwords are your first line of security for all your online data and information. Passwords should be kept private and distinct for each online account and activity.

In addition, like your bank always advise you, ensure that you change your passwords at least twice a year. Also, make sure that your passwords are not derived from personal information but random words and numbers.

There are free online tools that you can use to help you generate random passwords and store all of them safely so that you don’t forget.

Using a two-factor authentication

You know the way you have a key to your house and still have to disarm your alarm, otherwise, your alarm goes off and alerts security and authorities there is a break in? That’s how a two-factor authentication works.

Your password is the key, disarming the alarm is when the network or website you are on then sends to your phone a special code to enter before you can have access to your account.

A two-factor authentication ensures that you are the only one authorized to access certain accounts. You can also implement this with your customers to improve their perception that your business and website takes their digital privacy seriously.

Use a Virtual Private Network

A Virtual Private Network ensures that your browsing sessions are secure and encrypted. It works by allowing you to use a virtual server to connect to the internet. The information relayed through this virtual server is encrypted for increased safety and digital privacy.

Just like using a private web browser, using a VPN ensures that you are not easily tracked and monitored while you are online. Using a virtual private network also allows you to access some websites that you could not access without it due to some restrictions although some could lead to you compromising your company’s digital privacy.

Using a secure search engine

A secure search engine is a search engine that does not sell its users information. One prominent secure search engine that you can use for your business browsing is DuckDuckGo. Unlike Google or Yahoo, this search engine does not track your online activity.

As a business owner, you know and are sure that your online activity is safe and secure while you are browsing or carrying out your transactions and communication with customers.

Using encrypted communication

Communication is an integral part of highly successful businesses. There is clear communication within the business and consistent and clear communication with customers.

Communication could either be through text, phone calls or emails. When communicating externally or internally through either of these modes of communication, business managers and owners should ensure that they have end-to-end encryption.

This means that the information being communicated is only seen and understood by the two parties in communication. Any other parties that may intercept the communication cannot decipher or understand it.

The most common encrypted mode of communication is Whatsapp. It allows for texts and phone calls. There are also encrypted email providers that you can use for your business to business or business to customer communication.

Keep your software up to date

As a business owner, always ensure that the software you use in your business is authentic and up to date. Authentic and up to date software increase the privacy of your online activities.

An authentic software is easy to update.  For example, you can have your software set to update automatically. Therefore whenever the software manufacturer releases an update for the software, you can easily get them the moment you have an internet connection.

Often, most software updates lead to increased security and privacy to the user when they are online.

Individual vigilance

As a business owner or manager, it is imperative on you to ensure that your online activities do not put you at risk of a breach in your digital privacy. Companies should ensure that all their employees are informed of the need to be vigilant while online and to ensure that they are not exposing the company to the risk of hacks and other online monitoring and tracking.

Companies should ensure that their employees are aware of these simple to use privacy protection techniques and to always use them to protect themselves, the company and their customers.