Proactive Safety Measures Pay Off

E-commerce is big and getting bigger. Each month online sales rise even as the number of consumers conducting business online swells. E- business is growing all right, but there's one bugaboo that hasn't quite been conquered - security. Though doomsayers' predictions of rampant credit card fraud and online chicanery have largely failed to come true, consumers continue to be concerned with online security. Transmitting sensitive data like credit card numbers across the relatively unsecured Internet can be risky - and your customers know it. Until their fears are laid to rest, e-business will continue to be held back. That's where companies like Entrust Technologies come in. Entrust's digital certificates act like an online passport. Your personal certificate contains a random set of encrypted numbers that authenticate that you, and only you, authorized a transaction. It's like signing a check and it can virtually eliminate the risks of bogus transactions. Big businesses have already hopped on the security bandwagon, says Entrust CEO John Ryan and if small businesses want to grow, they should follow suit.

Redefine Security for Your Business

Many people have the wrong idea about security, Ryan believes. They see security as locking up information to keep it from prying eyes. Instead, Ryan says, they should view security as more of a safety measure. "The technology that Entrust brings to the marketplace is about empowering people to get at the things they need to get at," says Ryan. "It allows a seamless way for people to connect to a network. They're only allowed to go where they're authorized to go. They only conduct business on their levels of authority. They only see information that they're allowed to see. This enables companies to open up their network in a very cost effective way that helps them integrate the concept of the order right through the fulfillment of a sale, which makes them very competitive and cost effective." A secure network means less of a watchdog, Ryan says, and that translates to less of a barrier between your business and your customers.

Hire an Expert

Small security-conscious businesses should be most concerned with their web servers and internal networks, both are vulnerable to attack according to Ryan. He advises small business people to spend what's necessary on security instead of going for a cheap fix. "I liken security to electricity," Ryan says. "Electricity is something that you want to plug into, but if it's broken, you personally don't mess around with it or at least when I do, I get shocked. You typically want somebody who knows what they're doing and security is a lot like that. It does require people who really do have expertise because the damage can be severe in the event that they don't do a good job at what they put in for you." Business people should learn how to ask the right security questions of their web hosts, Ryan says. They should ask how customer information is protected during transmission and on the business web server. That information should be followed up with questions on authenticating customer information. "A lot of the basic, practical fundamentals are really just about following where the information goes in the transaction," Ryan says. "You are trying to make that transaction as easy for the customer as possible, but at the same time getting the kind of security value you'd like in place."

Guard Those E-mails

Even businesses not planning to take advantage of security advances can take elementary precautions that can eliminate some risks. "Don't put account information and password information in any e- mail, whether it's internal or external," Ryan says. "That can give people who might intercept that message the ability to attack your system and use that knowledge to get in. Hackers can get into your e- mail system by downloading your e-mails and reading all the e-mails for passwords. They then have access to your network because they can dial in and use one of those passwords. From there they can jump all over the place into the web and use your site as the leapfrog." Security continues to be a difficult, troubling issue for businesses online. Companies like Entrust continue to fight the good fight, but they can't do it alone. Take your security seriously - for the health of your business.