Amidst the current climate of malware, hacks, and phishing scams, companies must take precautions when accessing the internet. Without safeguards, browsers that you or your employees use are vulnerable to cyberattacks that may cripple productivity and profit.

Most business owners are too busy running their respective offices to be concerned about optimized security settings and other technical matters. To spare them the agony of deciphering IT jargon, here are three easy ways to prevent data theft. 

Cover your webcam

If Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, former FBI Director James Comey, and National Security Agency whistleblower Edward Snowden all believe their webcams could be compromised, there’s no reason you should feel safe.

In these times of internet fraud, phishing scams, and high-profile hacks, you can never be too careful. Even if you think you have enough precautions in place, it always helps to take another look at your online safety. Here are some browser extensions you can add to improve your online security.

Any successful small- or medium-sized business today must do two things to thrive: digital marketing and network security to keep its data safe from cyber attacks and other forms of data loss. When it comes to security, browsers are no exception. In small- and medium-sized businesses, some 50 to 150 workers access the net daily through the company network via browsers on your devices.

The bring your own device (BYOD) strategy lets employees use their personal mobile devices to do work for your company from anywhere. This strategy increases efficiency and convenience to your business, but it also brings a number of security risks to your IT infrastructure and data.

It takes seconds to infiltrate and obtain private information. Although it’s unlikely that Microsoft will cause your business financial ruin with their data collection, the fact is that Windows 10 gathers a large amount of private information from users.

Data security and privacy should be a top priority in this age of constant and downright dangerous cyber attacks. However, in your quest for ultimate security, don’t forget to implement these non-technical steps to shield your business’s IT resources.

Disasters. They do happen -- it’s only a matter of ‘when’. While most businesses acknowledge it, surveys show that only one in four companies worldwide have adequate protection in the event of a major disruption. We’re not talking about insurance here, but a Disaster Recovery (DR) plan that could save you thousands of dollars in losses and worse, a business closure.

Think you’ve got enough security measures in place within your company? How do you know what the next malware release will bring? Do you trust your employees implicitly? Of course you do - you hired them and they’re a good bunch of people! But even the nicest guy may inadvertently visit a website that’s been infested with viruses or fall victim to a cunning phishing scam.