Real Ways for Small Business

5 Ways to Make Sure Your Customers’ Information is Safe

Especially when you’re dealing with ecommerce, securing your customers’ information is absolutely crucial. If your buyers don’t think that they can trust you with sensitive details — like credit card numbers — they’ll take their business elsewhere. That means understanding how you can make that information safer is crucial.

1. Understand ecommerce security: You don’t need to go out and get a degree in computer security, but having a general idea of what terms like ‘128-bit SSL encryption’ means are crucial. Most of the tools you use in an ecommerce website have certain security measures built in and understanding what those measures are — and if they’re enough to reassure your customers — is an important step. You need to be able to discuss at least the basics of the steps you’ve taken to keep information safe.
2. Limit physical access: One of the weak points in many business’ security measures is who has physical access to your computer and information about your clients. Even accidentally, someone can make a lot of information available if they’re messing around on your computer. Limit the people who have access to your computer, as well as your accounts online to those you truly know you can trust with your customers’ information.
3. Evaluate your security regularly: Just because your security measures are top of the line today doesn’t mean that you don’t need to keep moving forward and improving — you can be that the other side is working hard to break existing system. Check up on the status of those tools and systems you rely on regularly to make sure they’re still the best option. If necessary, like when your business has grown significantly, it can be worthwhile to bring in a professional to evaluate how your security needs have changed.
4. Respond to even the smallest problems: Small issues can be a sign of something bigger, especially in security. Keep an eye out for discrepancies in client information and respond to any issue (even the small ones) quickly. Such warning signs can help you avoid bigger problems down the road. Furthermore, notify your customers of such situations. It’s not impossible for them to notice discrepancies on their side and keeping them up to date will reassure your customers that you take such issues seriously.
5. Explain what you’re doing in terms of security: Not only do you have to safeguard your customers’ information, but you have to tell them that you’re doing so. A basic shopping cart on your website that offers no explanation of what will be done with any information submitted through it can be scary for a customer, especially in these days of identity theft. Set out your privacy policy and explain what steps you’re taking to keep information safe. Don’t worry that explaining that you have security systems in place will make them more vulnerable to anyone trying to access this sort of information — if you’ve got good systems in place, just knowing what they are won’t help identity thieves.

Image by Flickr user Brad & Ying

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Tags: Customers’, Customers’ Information