When you think about securing your business data, web hosting is often not the first thing that comes to mind. However, ignorance and lack of security measures often lead to major problems. Think of hacked websites that spread spam, data loss and employees who are unable to work for hours. This results in both visible and invisible damage to your company.
You are the key to security
The biggest cause of security issues is often the user itself. In many companies, security is hardly given any attention, which is why it is often not a priority. This is a shame, because once you are aware that every change in your system—whether it is on your PC, tablet or smartphone—can affect the security of your web applications, you are already taking a big step in the right direction. Awareness is the first step towards better security.
Conflicting interests between safety and ease of use
When you decide to hire a professional company to secure your data, conflicting interests may arise. For example, companies often want maximum functionality, while this is not always safe. It is therefore important to talk to your hosting company, web developer or system provider to find a good balance between security and ease of use.
The importance of secure connections
You can easily see if your website uses a secure connection by looking at the URL. A URL that starts with https (the "S" stands for security) means that all data is encrypted. This is crucial for protecting sensitive information, such as personal data and payment details. Ask your hosting company for an SSL certificate, because this not only gives confidence to your customers, but also improves the findability of your website in search engines.
Compliance audits and vulnerabilities
Testing your security is something that is best left to an external party. A compliance audit checks whether your website and server meet the latest security standards. An example of this is the PEN test, which attempts to find vulnerabilities in your system. In the Netherlands, PCI-DSS certification is also becoming increasingly popular; this is a security standard that was developed for online payments.
A recent incident shows how important this is: more than 100 municipal websites used a vulnerable implementation of https encryption. Although they thought their connection was secure, this unfortunately turned out not to be the case. An audit could have detected these vulnerabilities, allowing the municipalities to take timely measures.
Finally
Managing, using or developing web applications comes with a certain responsibility. Everyone in a company must be aware of the security risks that can accompany any change. Therefore, regularly discuss with your hosting partner whether the current security measures are sufficient to protect your data. Every day, countless people entrust their data to websites, and it is our job to ensure that this trust is not betrayed.