The Biggest Digital Threats To Your Business: Ranked
One of the greatest benefits of opening a business in the modern world is that you can operate a business across multiple fronts. You can run something in the real world, with a physical store. You can run a web-based store based in the digital world, built out of bytes and not bricks. You could do both! Businesses can sell to the whole world, or a specific niche. Businesses are more global than ever before and have a hell of a lot of choice when it comes to almost anything. Even then, businesses have never had as much choice in where they are based than right now.
However, where you base your business is going to bring challenges, and not just that - there are some serious threats that each market or home for your business will present. Any landscape or market that your business is located in is going to present a different range of dangers to the business.
For instance, if you are based in the real world, you’ll have threats in the form of competition down the road, you might have threats based on local crime stats that say small businesses are likely to experience break-ins. Where your business is located in the world will change the threats that your business will experience.
Today, we’ll be focusing on the threats that business operations based on the web and the digital world will face. Despite our ability to use the internet, people are still struggling to understand some of the serious threats that come with online business operations. If we can save your business from disaster with this article, that’s a job well done all around - so pay attention, we might raise some surprising red flags for you, and if we do - get right to work. The dangers of the internet take no time off and while you’re taking your time to fix vulnerabilities, people might be looking to exploit you - that, or by not fixing gaps in your own knowledge, you might not be getting the most out of your online operations. We’ll list issues from least damaging to the most serious issues, but be warned - all of these threats are to be taken seriously.
No Digital Knowledge
If you’re not sure what you’re doing on the web, yet are in charge of your businesses online operations, you’ve got some learning to do. Now, this isn’t disastrous and it’s a minor threat - but you can make your business look pretty bad if you’re handling your online presence like a child. It may seem harsh, but if you’re aimlessly guiding your business across the web, can you be sure that your business is on the way up? No. Thankfully, this is an easy issue to fix through learning and knowledge. Get to grips with the internet and digital tech before embarking on major projects.
Lack of Use
A business that barely uses its online presence is a threat to its own success. If you’ve got a storefront or a marketing tool that the whole world could possibly see, why would you not use that? If a business does not use its online operations often, it will get left behind and forgotten by the vast majority of people. The key to success online is based on consistent use, to ensure you’re always being viewed and attracting the people that you want. If you are not using your sites, your social media channels - or being lazy in their deployment, you’re not just missing out - you’re being an active damage to the potential of your business. Success can be gained without the aid of the internet, but with every passing day, the chances of that drop through the floor. Avoiding tech might work for some, but it won’t work for everyone else. The chances are high that you fall into the bracket of ‘everyone else’.
Not Asking For Help
If you need help with anything, don’t be so proud as to allow yourself and your business to fail because you won’t stoop to getting help. There’s nothing wrong with handing off your online presence to someone who can run it properly, even if this means outsourcing. If you’re ruining everything yourself, you’re directly responsible for trashing your business online. Now, if you have problems that you cannot solve, you need to seek help - otherwise nothing is going to be resolved and you will continue to steer a rudderless ship in the online world. Not good.
Terrible Design
It’s all well and good using the internet, and you might be using it well - yet still not experiencing that makes it seem worth the effort. If this is the case, look to your design - in all aspects. Branding and other things can derail your business efforts if your branding is sending mixed messages. However, that’s not what we are to discuss, because frankly, you should know the importance of branding. However, you might not realize how the design of your website is critical to your success online. It’s not just how it looks though. Web designers like https://digitalico.com/web-design know that the importance of design is not just in good looks, but function. Now, good looks do matter when it comes to a website, every user wants something that isn’t offensive to the eyes, and every owner wants their business to be represented by a website that looks good - however if a site looks great, but the user interface is poor, you’ve got huge issues.
Rigorous testing is something you need to take seriously, because this will expose every single flaw on your website. This goes across all devices as well, so make sure your website is something that works, all the time. Yes, mobile users are on the rise as you can see here http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/2016/11/01/mobile-web-usage-overtakes-desktop-for-first-time/ and the fact is, if your site isn’t working on mobiles, then it isn’t working at all, is it? Terrible web design can hold you back, so don’t let it - it will be a huge hit to your potential.
Irresponsible Internet Usage
Unlike everything else - you may as well not use the tools that the digital world offers if you are not going to use them in a responsible manner. What does this mean? Well, you’ll be surprised as to how many businesses act idiotic online - and it’s usually self-employed businesses with the most to lose that do this. Aligning with political standpoints will lose your 50% of your audience, or more.
Using sexist, racist and offensive language will land you in legal hot water and will lose you custom. What’s more, due to the viral nature of the internet, your language will be shared across the web and you’ll be, and quite rightly, humiliated. Businesses can act like people, but when they display our worst habits, that’s bad usage. A business needs to act responsibly on the internet and not align with negative behaviours, politics or individuals. If you think something is risky, don’t do it. Bad usage is not something that many businesses recover from easily.
Viruses
Something every business should be wary of is a computer virus. Computer viruses are contracted in the same way that bodily viruses and illnesses are contracted, and that’s through exposure. However, it is easy to defend from viruses by equipping your business with the right tools. Mainly, knowledge and anti-virus software. This will ensure that your business isn’t under threat and can block viruses contracted through general browsing.
However, viruses that are malicious in nature can bring down the walls of your business and even take you offline. Viruses are not the worst digital threat you can face though.
Scams
A quick word on scams before we move onto the big threat. Scams should not be dangerous, but if we fall for a trick or a scam, it can be destructive. There’s no true way to protect from scams - except our own instincts. If someone asks for money, information or data - be cautious and question everything. You don’t need to release these things - and you shouldn’t. Hold onto this information and don’t give it away to a scammer.
Hacking
The big one. Viruses are a huge threat, but they can often be something that are more of an annoyance than a true threat. Hacking, on the other hand, is 99.9% of the time going to be nefarious in nature. The main way into your business for a hacker? Viruses and a lack of security. People will steal your information and money at a moment's notices. Simply ensure that you’re safe online with good web browsing and safety considerations. A serious hacker might not be stopped, but you’ll make yourself less of a target with good online practices.
Hacking is the worst threat you can face, but don’t be fooled. Almost everything on this list can derail your business, at various speeds and levels of seriousness. Be safe and smart online!
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