How to Protect Your Business and Client Information Online

As a business owner, earning and keeping the trust of your clients is crucial. Not only do they trust you with their care, but in many cases their personal information as well. Just as you wouldn’t let someone come in off the street to sift through clients’ personal files, you certainly don’t want an intruder accessing their information through the Internet.

There are many precautions home care business owners should take to not only protect their clients’ information, but the reputation of their business as well. Consider the following tips when drafting an Online Behavior Policy for your home care business:

Passwords

When creating an online presence or computer server for your business, well-crafted passwords are a necessity. StaySafeOnline.org, powered by the National Cyber Security Alliance, suggests that when creating passwords we should refrain from using any part of your own name, or any other personal information such as a Social Security number.

When creating passwords, ensure they contain both upper and lower case letters, as well as numbers and symbols, while still being memorable. If you have difficulty remembering all of your passwords, try using a service like PassPack. These password management services are encrypted and require several layers of verification before accessing. Once inside the system, you can access a list of all the passwords you’ve added, as well as share them with employees who may need access to these accounts. For example, you can share the password to your Facebook account with your marketing manager, and when they leave the company, simply revoke their access to it and change the password.

It’s also a good idea to change passwords regularly. It’s difficult for a computer hacker to figure out a well-guarded password, but even more so with regularly changing well-guarded passwords.