social media cyber security

In The World Of Social Media, Is Your Business Safe?

In The World Of Social Media, Is Your Business Safe?

You have seen the headlines;  the largest social media platform, Facebook, has recently come under scrutiny over a data scandal. Users’ data was sold to a data mining company without their knowledge or permission. This affected the safety and security of millions of Facebook users and has damaged the trust users had with Facebook. But what about businesses? In today’s world of social media, are businesses at risk if they participate in social media?

 

“In the news daily we see Social Media privacy and security issues. Currently, Facebook is going through some very concerning issues. For Business or Personal reasons, you need to be cautious about what you are sharing on social media – both privately and publicly. As we are learning, breaches are causing private information to be released to the wrong parties.”- Jason Kidman SOS Support

 

Businesses need a presence on social media today to stay competitive. Customers now prefer to connect this way and if your business isn’t available, then you run the risk of being left behind.  In addition, social media offers companies many benefits. One of the benefits has been to allow businesses to engage more with their customers in real time, however, this has also come with risk. When your business participates in social media, there is an increased chance of having a cybersecurity breach. For example,  it is easy for employees to share information on social media that might harm their company’s reputation, help a competitor, cost the business customers, or irritate a government regulator — even the CFO of Twitter accidentally posted sensitive data on social media.

 

In order to keep your business safe, we have put together a  few tips from our IT security pros.

1. Develop A Social Media Policy 

Just like a company policy, you should include a social media policy that informs employees on best practices. Make sure to cover social media activity in the office AND during after work use. Posts that are likely to harm businesses are typically made when employees use personal-thought-sharing social media services such as Facebook and Twitter on their own time and are not thinking with professional mindsets. Freedom of speech must be respected, but a business has a right to demand that employees not leak its confidential information, or say things that could get it sued.

2. Have A Social Media Training Session

Although a policy is a great first step, many employees may not fully understand what it means. Having a training session is therefore essential, as it will help get everyone on the same level.

  3. Involve Your IT Support Company

Your IT support company normally provides cybersecurity services. They may be able to assist in providing you with the training you need or help you develop your social media policies. Today, malware can get in through social media profiles and your IT support company will be looking for a way to prevent these sort of attacks from happening. Working with them and informing them on what you have for social media can help prevent a social media crises.

4. Make Sure You Have Good Malware Protection

Even with a great policy and training, people make mistakes. For that reason, having great cyber security software that helps protect your business is the last line of defense that every business owner needs. Talk to your IT specialist to make sure that your malware protections is sufficient.

 

We hope you liked these tips, for more helpful advice on how you can keep your business cyber safe check our blog.