Have you recently set up your brand new site? Ready to update a highly engaging and quality content on it? Well, just wait for a moment! You might have overlooked the security of your new website before its launching, but it should always be the top priority. This is crucial to ensure your website doesn’t become a victim of any data breach, phishing attacks or ransomware. Read more about- Ransomware: The Cyber Threat That Holds Your Data For Ransom.

According to the FBI, it has been estimated that ransomware and related cyber hacks cost companies around  $1 billion annually, and ruin the business's reputation. As you may hold sensitive data on the users of your website, the situations can become even worse.  Data breaches and hacks can cause people to undermine the trust in your brand and services.

You can click here to Know the Top 5 Cybersecurity Threats That You Need to Beware Of.

However, giving yourself a little time to go over the security of your new website can save you from a lot of hassle as well as your valuable time and money. There are certain steps you should consider to ensure the security of your new website. Let's have a look at some free but useful tips.

• Ensure Proper and Secured Web Hosting:

First of all, make sure that the company you are choosing for web hosting is reliable. If you already have set up your site, then it is the right time to take proactive steps to secure your website by choosing a proper and secured web hosting. Avoiding wasting time with the company which takes secured web hosting for granted.

• Keep Your New Site Up To Date:

If you have just created a new site for your business, it is imperative to keep it up to date with all the latest security patches. Whether it is security certificates, virus scan tools or available software updates, make sure that your website has all the latest updates; it will help you to stay ahead of the competition.

• Consider Installing An SSL Certificate:

SSL Certificates play the most important role to keep your website secured and legitimate. They also help users to exchange the encrypted information with your website while keeping it protected from the reach of cyber hackers. Gone are the days when SSL certificates used to be deployed only on the encrypted websites, but now they have become a necessity for almost all the sites.

• Don't Ignore the Firewall:

Installing a firewall is one of the greatest ways to reduce the vulnerability of your new site. A good quality firewall can monitor all the connections made with your site, and then automatically shut down any of them that look unauthorized or suspicious.  You can find a wide variety of options when it comes to getting the best firewall for your site. You can even get the free site firewall or security plugins for Weebly, WordPress, Wix and so on.

• Use HTTPS:

You can easily use HTTPS once an SSL certificate is installed on your website. Like SSL, HTTPS will benefit your site with added security as it is a more secure version of the standard information exchange system on your site. It encrypts the exchange of data between your site and users. Thus, if you want to avoid getting any annoying pop-ups on your site, you should consider using HTTPS.

However, most people get confused between VPN and SSL. VPN (Virtual Private Network) is one of the commonly used privacy tools that encrypt the connection between the internet and your computer but does not guarantee the legitimacy of the website you visit. Usually, some people think that if they have a VPN, they don’t need to install SSL, but that is not necessarily true. Both have different critical functions to secure your site, you should use both of them for the best protection.

• Lock Down Your Forms:

You are more likely to put the security of your new site at risk if you give your users access to enter any information or upload files. If you have your website built from a reputed and experienced web developer, be sure to ask them about the options for limiting users’ posts and secured content.

In addition, you can limit the types of files or images that users upload on your site by allowing just plaintext. If it’s important, they can share complex files such as portfolios and cover letters via email. But it will be required to have a secure email provider that scans viruses in attachments.

• Rename the Admin Folders:

One of the most important steps that you may not find in any other guide to secure your new site is renaming your admin folders. This is a simple tip you can use to avoid your site getting hacked by intruders or cybercriminals. You can rename your admin or root folders with something boring like "New Folder (1)", which will not a get attracted by automated vulnerability scanners. This will also provide added security to your data from any unauthorized access.

Along with this, you should keep all your other systems secured by availing any reliable data security & management services. These tips are the key to start your new site securely and reduce your vulnerability to data breaches or cyber hacks. Also, it is important to make sure you’re using a quality eCommerce platform and a secure server. If any of these systems are found insecure, they will invite attackers to enter your network and access the data.

Final Thought

Securing a new site is always a complex subject in an ever-evolving landscape. This step-by-step guide is meant to provide you with a clear framework to mitigate risk proactively. Availing managed IT services is also a systematic approach to secure and manage a new site. This will ultimately help you to run your site smoothly and efficiently while reducing the vulnerabilities to your business.