Lock Down Your Content with these Website Security Services

Data security is no longer an afterthought, or something that online businesses can think about tomorrow. Ensuring that content, customer information and financial data is safely protected from hackers is an absolute essential, and is something that all companies need to think about.

At greatcontent, we want our partners to be able to focus on quality content and marketing success, instead of constantly worrying about cybersecurity threats. So let's look in more detail and suggest some ways to use website security services to ease your anxieties.

Understanding the Issue: Cybersecurity matters

Before we look at solutions, it's important to put the problem into perspective. And when you look at digital security objectively, some key themes stand out from the crowd.

1. Data breaches are increasingly common

According to the security experts at Dell, 63% of companies worldwide have experienced some form of data breach in the past year, and the number of blocked attacks has soared in recent years - suggesting that attackers are becoming bolder.

2. Insecure data can be very costly

According to IBM and the Ponemon Institute, the average cost of corporate data breaches could now be as high as $3.9 million, and the best evidence we have suggests that the total cost across all companies has topped $2 billion, although that's likely an underestimate.

3. Companies could be much better at spotting data breaches

At the same time, IBM reports that companies continue to act slowly when detecting data breaches. In fact, the average lifecycle of data breaches increased from 266 days in 2018, to 279 days in 2019.

4. Email phishing is one of the most vulnerable areas for all companies

When you look in more detail at the statistics, one form of attack looms above the others: malware injection via suspicious email attachments. As Verizon reports, around 90% of all malware stems from e-mails. And when employees opening suspect attachments have access to an average of 17 million files, the results can be dire.

Finding the right website security solutions

We know that cyberattacks on corporate assets are becoming more frequent, more sophisticated, and more lucrative. But there are reasons for optimism, not least because companies can take a number of relatively simple steps to optimise their website security solutions.

1. Implement website monitoring

Knowledge is everything when detecting data breaches, and the best way to stay on top of potential threats is by purchasing the services of a website monitoring tool. Cloud-based tools like Dynatrace UEM and LogicMonitor can track load issues, detect intrusions, and help to iron out latency problems as well.

2. Move away from Wordpress to SaaS alternatives

Wordpress is a handy hosting service for eCommerce firms, but it has major security flaws, especially relating to faulty plugins. If you want foolproof security, migrating to a specialist SaaS CMS service like Zesty.io could be a good alternative.

3. Sharpen up your SSL game

All eCommerce websites should have up to date SSL certificates, especially after Google's decision to flag up sites lacking them as potential hazards. Even so, you'll often find standard "http" headers, often when companies fail to renew their certificates. So make sure that every page is certified and encrypted. It's the basis for everything else that happens on your site.

4. Add extra protection with Web Application Firewalls

Even if you have the best monitoring tools and up to date certificates, you'll want to add extra protection between hackers and your precious website data. Web Application Firewalls (WAFs) like StackPath and AppTrana offer exactly that, providing much stronger barriers against SQL injection and cross-site scripting attacks.

Prevent downtime and guard your content with website security services

Hackers love to be able to breach website servers, and they know exactly what to do when they get inside. Skilled attackers can hijack your site, siphon off customer data, collect data from subsequent visitors, slow your site down, and even hold your company to ransom.

As we've seen, this kind of attack isn't rare, and it could be increasingly common. So it's definitely a good time to take steps to beef up your online security. That way, you can lock away your content from competitors, and start to turn your attention to winning the SEO battle.

After you've perfected your protection, get in touch to create the perfect copy. greatcontent will always be there to help.

Text: Sam Urquhart
Image: Michael Dziedzic on unsplash.com