E-commerce offers enormous opportunities for companies of all sizes to directly access and boosts their sales to their consumers. The internet, nevertheless, is packed with threats and hackers, and an unsecured database for e-commerce websites is the best target for these guys. Why? Because e-commerce sites contain essential client information, including personal and financial data. It is your job as owner of an e-commerce business to maintain the security of information for your customers.
Let’s take a detailed look at how companies protect customer information and what can you learn from tried and tested methods out there to keep your data secure from hackers and the likes.
Use a Secure Hosting Service
When building an e-commerce website, we are sure that your priority will never be to spend a lot of time choosing your hosting server. But we believe that this is the worst and most costly mistake you will make. We understand that cost is a factor but there are other things that you must keep in mind when choosing a server for your e-commerce website. Security is arguably the most crucial factor you should consider before you choose a hosting server for your e-commerce website.
In case of a security breach and quick restructuring, your hosting server must be subject to strict security measures to prevent cyber attacks on your site and take regular backups to the site.
Look for the following features from your hosting provider:
- High uptime guarantee
- Secure data center
- Data backup programs
- Manual Reboot
- RAID data protection
If your current hosting server fails to provide the above features, it is time for you to switch to a more robust and secure option asap.
2. Choose a VPN Server for Data Protection
Have you been consistently asking: “How do I make my e-commerce website secure?”. Well, part of your answer lies in using a US VPN server for your website. US VPN servers are one of the best security features when it comes to protecting your customer data and your databases for e-commerce websites. A good US VPN server will create a barrier between your data and cyber attackers. Your traffic will be routed through a remote server before it reaches you and that is what makes these servers so secure. There is a good list of VPN servers available online and you can opt for a free trial for most of them and see if they work for your e-commerce and data protection needs. VeePN is one such option that will allow you all these features and also comes with a free trial.
3. Encourage Customers to Protect their Own Data
The login portal is the most vulnerable aspect of a database for an e-commerce website, regardless of which e-commerce platform you use. If a hacker manages to get access to your login portal – you and your e-commerce business are done for good. You need to ensure that every individual with admin access uses a secure password and changes it every few months.
The same applies to your clients. Encourage them to automate and reset the passwords every couple of months. The requirements for a password are also strict, requiring at least 8 characters and a number of symbols.
You also need to train your employees to take essential measures to keep their login information safe from hackers and cyberattacks.
4. Choose a Robust and Secure E-commerce Platform
Want to know what is the best platform for e-commerce? It provides good safety, design, and usefulness simultaneously. Find a platform with data encryption options and an SSL certificate. You must choose a platform that is not just secure; it is updated often and offers scalability for your business’s future growth.
5. Don’t Store Uneccessary User Data
This is the simplest safeguard that may be taken. Just remove any sensitive user data you don’t need. You do not really need to maintain payment or personal identity information on your website if you are not a subscription-based business.
This one simple step can insulate you from a consumer lawsuit if a hack exists. Make sure to also use a good VPN from the list of VPN servers to keep all user communication safe.
6. Use HTTPS
The HTTPS or Hyper-Text Transfer Technology Secure (HTTPS) is an online protocol that helps to keep communication secure. A Secure Socket Layer certificate must be purchased. HTTPS websites are certified and secure. This is what makes a website designed to swindle consumers from a secure and genuine e-commerce site different.
Many domain and hosting providers have SSL certificates included in their packages. If not, you can buy one to keep your database for your e-commerce website safe online.
Having no investment in security measures can lead to major problems for your B2C e-commerce business. If you expose them deliberately to hackers and cyber-attackers, you may be accountable for lost client information. This is going to be an issue for your company as a whole because you can be sued by these customers in consumer court. Always make sure you make use of a good US VPN server. Also, educate your employees to use VPN when they are connecting from remote servers. Your customer representatives need to be trained to iterate the importance of having strong passwords and using good anti-virus software when connecting to your website.
Invest in online security for your business, ensuring the protection of user data via a VPN server and the above methods. This investment will go a long way in protecting your business and also protecting confidential customer data. This will also make sure people feel safe while shopping from your e-commerce store and recommend it to their friends and family for being a secure platform to shop from.
