Your website is your brand, the storefront and frequently, your first contact with your clients. Therefore, if it is not safe and secure, it could compromise your business relationship. With the growing website and cyber attacks, cyber security for business becomes mandatory.
An unprotected website is a security risk to customers. The threat can come in the form of malware in visitors’ site, stealing of transaction information, customer personal information or even crushing the entire website. A single security breach could mean death penalties for small businesses as most states have strict penalties and fines regarding data breach laws.
Additionally, it can have a significant impact on customer trust in case customers find out about it. Hackers harness the combined power of several computers and sites. This makes it impossible for the attacks to lead directly to the hacker. You should, hence, secure your website with a reliable hosting doing Online Web Check as prevention is always better than cure.
Methods of Finding a Secure Hosting
Most business owners have no experience in choosing website hosting. It hence, makes shortlisting a reliable website difficult. Below are various basic ways of selecting a reliable hosting.
1. Reverse Phone Lookup
People often buy and sell items based on reputation. The same principle applies to internet hosting. A hosting company that enjoys a top-notch reputation is usually because it offers excellent customer service, good user experience, and less rate of downtimes. There are many ways of assessing the company’s reputation in the web hosting service industry:
Most web hosting companies put up their contacts on their website. In addition to the company details and location, you will also find a phone number which you can reach in case of any problem. You should check the phone number to ensure it belongs to the company and is not just a virtual line.
The internet never sleeps. It is vital that your web hosting provider provides excellent technical and customer support system. It should mostly be in the form of integrated customer support. Online search engines will assist you in finding details through a reverse phone lookup.
Overselling: When the deal is too good, always think twice. A web hosting provider that is overselling means that they might compromise the security. You should choose a web hosting provider who is not overselling. It might be a bit costly, but your website will be more secure.
2. Software Backups and Updates
Hard disk failures and software bugs can result in data loss from your website. It is thus, necessary to ensure you have a proper backup mechanism. You should get a web hosting agency that has a reliable backup system and updates records of files regularly.
A website functions properly when there is synchronization between various software. For you to give your clients maximum customer experience, you require software such as the cPanel, web client and content management system.
Although most hosting providers allow you to install the software with just a single click, the story changes when it comes to the software updates. Many web hosts do not offer the latest version of the software. This means they have security loopholes that might make your website vulnerable.
3. Accessibility to the hosting
People often assume that the duty of securing the site lies with the host. In reality, you have just as much control in controlling your website security.
You have the power to choose whether the host has access to your website or not. During the setup, be careful in choosing the features you authorize the host to access. For instance, you may not want them to access private client’s data.
4. Basic Security Features
Web hosting providers should install different resources in their servers to make them secure. The resources include:
- DDOs protection, SSL and firewall: The resources will help your website to stay safe, but in case disruptions occur, you will be able to recover your website quickly. You should go for a web host that provides all these features
- Network monitoring: It will help in early detection of attacks to the servers. A good web hosting provider should take the necessary steps in preventing an attack if anything out of the ordinary occurs.
- Cloud storage: it creates redundancy and saves your data in multiple servers. The numerous data backup will ensure your website continues to operate even when it is under attack. Hence, your business will still run smoothly.
Guidance to make the right choice
The above points will give you a guide to making the right choice when it comes to choosing the right hosting company. Now that you are knowledgeable, it will be easy for you to choose the right web host that will keep your online business completely safe.
Bio
Olga Andriichuk works as the content manager at Spokeo. Her field of expertise includes business, marketing, and personal growth. In her spare time, she enjoys yoga classes and exploring new destinations.