Online Business: The Dangers of Technology

By Dennis Mckonkie

An internet based business or putting your brick and mortar online is an excellent idea. With so many people using the Internet to shop online, your business will be able to reach more people and generate more sales and profit. However, there are some dangers of putting your business online. You should be well aware of these dangers before going online with your company so that you can take the proper steps to address potential problems that may arise. Here are three of the biggest dangers to your online business.

Data Scraping

Data scraping, more commonly referred to as web scraping, is the perusal of files and any type of data available about your company and its customers that you may think is secure. Most data scraping is done for the purposes of other companies gathering information such as prices, sales and other elements of business. However, there are some internet users out there using data scraping for nefarious purposes. Hackers, for instance, will use data scraping to steal private information such as people’s names, addresses, phone numbers and credit card information that may be stored on your site. Therefore, you must make a great effort to protect the private information of your customers. You can do this by encrypting such data in order to make it more difficult for hackers to get their hands on. You will want to make sure that even those using it for legal purposes aren’t using it for campaigns such as unsolicited marketing or email spam. Controlling data scraping is difficult; pay attention to your customers and protect them at all costs.

Malware and Viruses

Like data scraping, you have to consider the infestation of malware and/or viruses. These computer programs are developed by hackers either to gain information to steal from your computer system, wipe your system and shut it down completely or to take over your system from a remote location. Malware and viruses can devastate an online business from the inside out. These computer programs can be operating in the background without you having any sort of knowledge they are there. You will need to hire a strong team of technologically savvy employees who know what they are doing as it pertains to online security. This team will ensure programs are installed and operating correctly in order to block malware and viruses from infecting your business systems.

Reliable Systems

Another danger to your online business is reliable equipment. It may seem to anyone that running an online business is as simple as having a computer, an internet connection and a means to accept payment. However, you have to keep in mind that servers can go down, payment systems can be hacked and websites can crash. Therefore, as a business owner it is essential that you make sure you have reliable equipment and security protected payment methods for you online business. This may include contracting out to other companies or could mean hiring a whole new team of people to ensure you company and its customers are safe transacting their business online.

These are just three of the biggest threats to your company once you put it online. There are many more threats to consider as well and all should be carefully planned for and addressed before hitting the button for your business to go live. Before selling your first item, make sure you have done everything in your power to protect yourself, your employees, your systems and above all your customers. The security you provide them is what will keep them coming back to shop with your company in the future.