Protecting Your Company from Cyber Attacks

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StrategyDriven Managing Your Business Risk Management Article |Cyber Attacks|Protecting Your Company from Cyber AttacksHow well are you protecting your company, client and staff data? Holding any kind of data will mean you need to be employing security measures to make sure all information you collate for whatever reason is secure.

Protecting your company from serious cyber threats is something you should be taking seriously within your business. How secure you need to be depends on the type of company you are running. Different sectors need different types of security measures to protect the company and also staff and customers details including personal information and banking details along with credit card numbers.

Use a Firewall

This should be something you use as standard. A firewall is your first one of defence against a security attack. And unfortunately, small businesses tend to be targeted more often than larger companies due to the level of security that is employed.

Consider an internal firewall along with an external one too for added protection against threats and potential hacks.

Educate Employees

Again, this is something most people are aware of. However, staff training on the use of technology and online habits and practises is never a waste of time. Especially as online security threats are changing and evolving all the time.

Draw up company guidelines for personal and work use and educate them on the many ways they could cause a breach in security unintentionally – such as opening links in unfamiliar emails. Make sure everyone understands and signs a document to agree to the security measures they have been trained on.

Limit Sensitive Information

Allowing certain employees access to sensitive information is another way you can reduce the risk of your staff creating a security breach. By giving different staff members limited access, the less the chance of that information getting into the wrong hands. And if it does, then you will know exactly who caused the breach and deal with it swiftly.

Regularly Back-Up Data

Making sure you have backups will help you get up and running again in the event of a security breach. Prevention is always the best option but you want to make sure that should the worst happen, you can still access everything you need to.

It is recommended that you back up to a cloud. The GCC High Cloud is now available for more companies to offer you another level of security.

Have your backups processed on a regular basis to ensure minimum disruption in the event of a security breach.

Install Anti Malware

A 2016 data breach investigation identified that 30% of employees opened phishing emails. You may presume that all employees know not to open phishing emails, some will still open them.

Phishing scams involve malware being placed on a computer when a link is clicked. installing anti-malware can help remove and/or block this before it gets any information or causes any damage. Include this as part of your training and make sure your anti-malware is running on all devices and internal and external networks.

Rules Of The Road: Looking After Your Traveling Employees

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StrategyDriven Managing Your People Article |Nomadic Employees|Rules Of The Road: Looking After Your Traveling EmployeesAny good business leader knows how to look after their employees in-house. But when your employees are out on the road this can prove a bit more difficult. In order to make sure that your nomadic employees are well catered for, it’s about a combination of connection but also looking after their best interests, as well as making sure that they feel part of the team.

Supporting Them On The Road

Every employee wants to feel part of the team even though they are hundreds of miles away. Instead of occasionally checking in on them, be consistent with your communication. Not only this but you need to make sure that you have the appropriate components in place to look after them should something happen. Because they are out on the road risking themselves in numerous ways you don’t have the same level of control over their welfare. And this means that should the worst-case scenario happen when they are in transit, that you have the best truck accident lawyers and legal help available. It’s crucial to provides a safety net for your employees when they are out on the road.

You should also consider travel insurance, especially if there are problems with lost luggage or delayed flights.

Keeping In Touch

Employees may like the idea of being away from the office but they still need to do a job. It’s about that fine balance of letting them do their work but without constantly bombarding them with messages. As a compromise, it’s worth deciding on a time for you to check in on your employees. Sometimes it’s not possible, especially if there are travel issues or time differences. But you may want to think about giving them their own personal VPN just in case there are technical issues everywhere so they can do their work but you can also communicate via wi-fi call.

Be Transparent In Your Travel Policies

In order to make sure that you are covered in a legal sense you need a proper travel policy that protects your employees when they are out on the road, but also make sure that your liabilities are limited. It’s crucial to minimize confusion and when you have a policy in place, go through it with legal professionals but also make sure that your employees understand it to the letter. When we are out on the road there’s a lot of components we have no control over. In order to be comprehensive in the legal sense, you’ve got to keep the regulatory components in place.

Check In With Them Personally

Being on the road can be an adventure the first couple of times but after that, it just gets boring, not to mention isolating. In order to make sure that they are okay you should check in with them on a regular basis. It’s not just about the job that they are there to do but when you get in contact with them you might want to think about seeing how they are. If they’re feeling a little bit low it is a good idea to give them something that can help keep their morale up. It could be some extra money through petty cash to go for a meal or to the movies.

Being on the road is a crucial role for many businesses now, but it can be a difficult one. Make sure you look after your employees effectively.

How To Check Out A Potential Employee Before Hiring Them

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StrategyDriven Managing Your People Article |Hiring An Employee|How To Check Out A Potential Employee Before Hiring ThemWhen you are hiring an employee and looking through applications, you need to check that they have the relevant experience and qualifications to do the job. Once they get to the interview stage, you will also be trying to get a feel for whether they are a good fit for the company and whether they will work well with the rest of the team. If all goes well, you may decide to offer them the job. But there is one more step that you need to take before that.

Even if a person seems great on the surface, you don’t really know much about them, which is why you need to conduct background checks to ensure that they are reliable and they are not going to endanger your business in any way. If you are unsure what you are looking for, these are some of the things that you need to check.

Employment History

Looking at somebody’s employment history is a good way to get a sense of how reliable they are. If they only stay at jobs for a few months and there are a lot of big gaps in their employment history, that is not a good sign and they are likely to let you down. If you click here to visit this website, you can request copies of employment records so you can check that there is nothing to be concerned about. If there is something that you are unsure about, you should always ask the candidate. They may have a reasonable explanation and that is fine, but if they do not, you should reconsider your decision to hire them.

Social Media Check

A person’s employment history gives you a clearer picture of their professional life, but you should also check out their social media pages to see what kind of person they are outside of work. If you see any evidence of illegal activity on there, for example, you know that this person is not a good hire for your company. It can also give you some insight into their personality and help you decide whether they will fit in with the rest of the team.

Criminal Record Checks

Employment history and social media checks help you to get a feel for the kind of person that you may be hiring and they are important. But criminal record checks are even more important because they are a matter of safety. It is your responsibility to ensure that all of your employees are safe, so you need to avoid hiring anybody that has a violent past and could pose a safety risk. A criminal record check will let you know about any previous convictions, and even though you should not necessarily discount everybody with a criminal record, it is important that you make an informed decision.

Credit Checks

Credit checks are becoming more common during the hiring process because they can be an indication of how reliable a person is. If somebody has terrible credit, that suggests that they are not the most reliable person in the world and you should reconsider hiring them. Don’t base your entire decision on this, but it is something worth looking at.

As long as you do these important checks on a potential employee before hiring them, you can ensure that you are making the right decision.

What are the Best Green Business Ideas?

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StrategyDriven Starting Your Business Article |Green Business|What are the Best Green Business Ideas?With the current concerns about climate change, it is more important than ever that entrepreneurs are able to establish green and environmentally friendly business ideas that can both help to protect the environment and remain profitable. Not only this, but due to an increasing public awareness surrounding global warming, sustainable products and businesses have now started to become much more coveted than previously. With this in mind, here are some of the top business ideas for eco-warriors.

CBD Oils and Tinctures

CBD oil is relatively new as a natural remedy due to the recent changes in the laws surrounding it, and yet many people are seeing the substance as a sustainable and eco-friendly product that can be used without the harmful side-effects of other medicines. Not only does CBD need less water than other crops to thrive, but the production of hemp can be used for a vast variety of products, including the CBD oil that you are interested in. Choosing to invest in white label CBD tinctures can then help to provide your target audience with a more natural way to protect their health and treat long-term health conditions, as well as aid their mental health.

Sustainable Crafts

Many people are looking for custom items that are created with the environment in mind. From upcycled furniture to creating products out of recyclable materials, there is a vast amount of DIY projects that you can try your hand at. This can also include creating a sustainable fashion brand, which uses organic cotton and other eco-friendly fabric fabrics.

Eco-Friendly Travel

Considering ways to live more sustainably does not often provoke people to restrict their travel plans. However, many people are looking for ways to travel in an eco-friendly way and participate in sustainable activities, from hiking to kayaking. This includes taking tourists to participate in conservation-projects or creating eco-friendly accommodation, such as hotels that have solar-powered electricity. Many of these businesses also give back to the communities that they visit, such as helping to support independent creators and ensuring that their activities are not exploitative.

Essential Oils

Many of your potential eco-minded clients are looking for natural ways to treat common illnesses, and one of the major ways to do this is through essential oils, like lavender and tea-tree oil. These oils have been proven to help stress, anxiety, migraines, inflammation, and skin conditions. As well as creating and branding your own products, you should also consider the benefits of opening your own aromatherapy clinic if you are willing to become fully licensed.

Organic Food

Organic food has seen an increase in popularity due to the fact that organic farmers are focused on providing their clients with food that has been grown using methods that protect the environment, such as avoiding the use of chemicals and pesticides, as well as genetic modification. Once you produce your products, you could consider selling them on local food stands and at farmer’s markets, as well as considering distributing them on the internet, where clients actively look for niche, eco-friendly brands.

4 Services Small Businesses Can Outsource

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StrategyDriven Managing Your Business Article | 4 Services Small Businesses Can OutsourceRunning a small business requires wearing a lot of different hats. You don’t have to do everything yourself or hire full-time staff to take care of all the daily tasks needed to keep your business going. Here are four services to consider outsourcing.

1. Technological Support

If you use any technology to operate your business, even if it’s just website maintenance and email, you need some type of IT support. It may not be cost effective to have your own team on staff, though. IT outsourcing can help you manage your technical infrastructure and keep everything running smoothly.

2. Janitorial Services

When you have a brick-and-mortar location, you want to keep it clean to protect yourself, your employees and your customers. You can ensure that regular cleaning happens when you enlist the help of janitorial services Minneapolis. You can set up a schedule that works best for your business.

3. Accounting

You hope that all areas of your business run well, but one area you need to be as close to perfect as possible is accounting. Accounting helps you keep track of payroll, revenue, expenditures and taxes. You can use payroll software for basic functions, but hiring outside experts can help you avoid costly mistakes.

4. Marketing

Analyzing the marketing strategies that will work best for your particular business can be time-consuming. That’s why it makes sense to outsource your marketing to a team of professionals. Marketing specialists can focus on finding the best way to reach new customers and keep your current customers informed. This releases you to have the time you need to focus on what you do best.

Part of running a small business is making sure everything is taken care of. Instead of trying to add a lot of employees to the payroll, try outsourcing as many services as possible.