Don't put yourself and your customers at risk. Good security is a must-have for ecommerce. The Internet has an almost endless number of advantages for a business; the catch, however, is that anything done on the Internet is inherently risky. By its nature, the Internet connects everyone in the world—this of course means more access to your customer base, but it also means a significantly increased amount of contact to people with ill-intentions. Think about the Internet as a giant locker room. With you and your customers putting valuable information into your locker, you want to make sure that your locker is not only locked, but that it has the most protection possible. Security Cannot Be Ignored In 2013, Target’s customer records (including data from around 40 million credit and debit cards) were stolen. Target spent an enormous amount of time and effort making repairs for the breach of data. According to the Consumer Bankers Association and Credit Union National Association, costs associated with the incident were over $200 million. But even more dangerously, Target’s business reputation became clouded by fear and doubt. The International Business Times reports that Target saw a decrease in transactions of 3 to 4 percent from the previous year. Customers were afraid to shop there. The Target hack was not an isolated incident. The history of computer science is filled with data breaches, and it is guaranteed that there will be more to come. As we saw in April 2014 with the infamous Heartbleed bug, hackers are innovating and evolving right along with technology, exploiting any vulnerability they can find. Anybody doing business over the Internet must be aware of the current advances in both hacker trends and security practices. Start Safe From the moment you build your site, keep security in mind. Absolutely make sure that your site meets any security requirements for your industry (for example, HIPPA compliance in the health industry). Use strong in-build encryption so that data is not accessible as it is transferred. Do not rely on just one firewall or security measurement, but rather layer a combination on top of each other, and have a plan for when one stops working. Always require usernames and passwords to access customer information, and consider requiring special symbols in the password (a number, a capital letter, or a punctuation mark). There are many options in your security toolbox for when you are building your ecommerce platform; give yourself the best protection possible. Pay Special Attention to Your CRM integration One of your biggest banks of information—and thus, biggest points of risk—is your CRM. While CRM integration gives you a great advantage in being able to store your customers’ data, you as a business owner have increased responsibility to make sure your ecommerce site is secure. Secure CRM integration has to ensure that only you can access your database, and that only your client can access their specific customer page. Stay Up-to-Date The nature of security is always changing. You have to be aware of the current trends and be prepared to act quickly to adjust your system as needed. For instance, when the Heartbleed bug was discovered, companies had to act immediately to repair the Open SSL vulnerability in their website’s code. Be sure to install security patches as soon as they come out and to keep your software as updated as possible. The best thing you can do for your company’s online security is to stay informed. Clarity Can Help To build an ecommerce platform with security that is right for you, or if you need assistance with implementing security measures, contact us for a free quote today!