Learn how to – Keep Your New Business Secure with These 3 Tips

Learn how to – Keep Your New Business Secure with These 3 Tips.

Starting a new business is an exciting adventure. The prospect of wild success often makes for an environment of fast-paced choices about company procedures and day-to-day operations. 

But while making these decisions, many new entrepreneurs forget to take some important steps to secure their information. If you’re planning to start a business in 2022 or are simply looking for ways to level-up this year, follow our three tips to safeguard your data.

1. Make a plan to track expenses from the beginning

This will come as no surprise: Tracking your expenses and income is essential to running a successful business. Come tax time, you’ll need to have accurate records of how much you spent and how much you brought in.

There are some phenomenal bookkeeping software options available at varying price points, but these can be intimidating to new users. As a new business owner with a smaller operation, it’s OK to get started temporarily with a simple spreadsheet and graduate to the next level as your business grows. 

As for receipts, make an effort to go digital. Scan or photograph paper copies with your phone and keep them in a safe place in the cloud or on your computer. In addition, move digital receipts to a designated folder in your inbox and change the file name to something you can recognize, such as the vendor name and the purchase date. This way, they’ll always be easily accessible and searchable.

Above all, whichever route you choose, be sure to keep your documentation in a safe place.

2. Protect your business with a firewall

When you think of the word “firewall,” you probably visualize a large company with several dozen employees who spend thousands or millions of dollars annually to protect their computer networks. In fact, you may be asking yourself, “What are firewalls, exactly?”

A firewall serves as a digital wall that stops harmful viruses and malware from entering your computer network via your internet access points. The more sources you have for accessing the internet, the more firewalls you should employ.

As it turns out, firewalls aren’t just for the “big guys.” Business firewalls protect your company assets, records and hardware from the risks of cyber theft, loss or corruption—even if you’re operating your business from a single computer and accessing the internet from a single source, like your home internet. 

3. Opt for two-factor authorization when it’s available

Virtually (no pun intended) every tool, app or platform you use that connects to the internet is susceptible to being hacked. And while a firewall is a great way to protect your hardware and data, using two-factor authorization gives you an extra layer of online safety.

Setting up two-factor authorization is pretty easy and often requires you to download an authentication application to your smartphone. When you log in to your online accounts, you’ll be directed to enter a randomly generated number from your authenticator app to verify your identity. 

It might be a bit irritating to take the extra step of checking your phone to log into your accounts, but the security you gain is well worth the trouble. 

Securing your business helps ensure your success

As you decide which applications to use to manage your business, take advantage of the security options available. Whether you’re just starting your entrepreneurial journey or have been in business for years, protecting your data is invaluable to your company’s growth and prosperity.