Indeed, in modern times, one needs a hosting company that does not only allow websites and all sensitive data to be hosted on it but also ensures that the hosting is secure. In these times of rising cyber threats, ensuring your hosting provider has robust measures for security against breaches can save you from costly breaches and the fallouts that come with such breaches. A hacked website can result in loss of revenue, damaged reputation, and even legal problems.
What Can Go Wrong?
A recent incident revealed the disastrous after-effects of poor security. GoDaddy lost a lot of sensitive data due to some weaknesses in their hosting company’s security (see article here). The breach resulted in customer information falling into fraudsters’ hands and caused huge losses to the company and its clients. This incident served as an eye-opener that the security of your website begins with your hosting provider.
Top 5 Things to Consider When Selecting a Hosting Company
Security Features
Find those hosting companies that offer advanced security features, including SSL certificates, firewalls, and malware scanning. These features can help safeguard your website from cyber threats.
Regular Backups
Make sure the hosting provider offers automatic backups of your website. Regular backups can help you recover your data in case of a breach or technical failure.
Encryption of Data
Choose a hosting company that adheres to data encryption standards. This ensures that in communication between visitors and your website, information given out by them is well-protected from intrusion.
Reputation and Reviews
Check the reputation of the hosting company by reading through customer reviews and ratings. Those providers known to have security incidents in the past should raise a red flag in using such a provider for your business.
24/7 Support
Reliable support is very important should you encounter issues with security. Ensure that the hosting company provides 24/7 support so that if there is an issue, it can be fixed with speed.
Keeping Your Website Secure
Once you get a secured hosting company, you should go the extra mile in ensuring that your website remains secure. Here is how to do that effectively:
Keep Updates
Regularly update the CMS, theme, and plugins of your website. Most updates offer patches against security-related vulnerabilities.
Strong Passwords
Enforce strong and unique passwords for your hosting account as well as your website’s admin area. Consider using a password manager to help you manage complex passwords.
Install security plugins that offer firewall protection, malware scanning, and login attempts monitoring. This can be an excellent way to bolster your website’s security significantly.
Limiting User Access
Give access only to the trusted people and provide them with just a minimum quantity of user permissions. That would minimize the chances of unauthorized access to sensitive areas of your website.
Activity Monitoring
Enable regular checking of your website for any suspicious activity. Most of the security plugins have functions that might alert you in cases of suspicious login attempts or changes to your site.
Conclusion
In essence, website protection begins with choosing a good hosting service. Picking a host with tight security, along with introducing your security practices, will minimize chances of cyber threats. As the adage goes, prevention is always better than cure. Give primacy to security over all other aspects to safeguard your business and customers.
