:: By Kelly Meeneghan, 1&1 Internet
With such a heavy reliance on the Internet, online security should be one of the top priorities for both website owners and their visitors. According to a recent study conducted by 1&1 Internet, Inc., more than half of the participants (67%) confirmed that they, or someone they know, have had their personal information lost or stolen as a result of doing business online. As a website professional, it is imperative that all aspects of your work provide a secure environment for both yourself as well as website visitors. Neglecting to exercise significant measures to ensure Web safety can result in extremely damaging losses of information and in turn, credibility. Understanding these priorities, Web hosts put in place security measures to ensure safe and reliable online operations.
1) Redundant Web hosting
Redundant Web hosting has become a staple in many online hosting solutions. Mirroring data on at least two separate servers have proven to be a strategic solution towards preventing downtime, which is always an inevitable risk. Taking it a step further, hosting providers have introduced more complex redundancy procedures like Dual Hosting. Such technology hosts your site and data on two different server clusters in separate physical locations creating a form of 'geo-redundancy.' Due to this added layer of security, if one data center experiences any kind of disturbance, your information will automatically be switched to the other location to remain accessible. While necessary maintenance takes place on the interrupted server, there is zero disruption on your website and your visitors online experience.
2) Security Scans
Even though you may think your site is immune to malicious activity, simple mistakes like a misspelling when entering code or forgetting to close a parenthesis can leave your online representation vulnerable to potential hackers. Such infections can not only affect a website's function, but could also potentially harm visitors to the website and damage your online brand. As this risk can occur at any time, often without your knowledge, security tools like SiteLock allow you to continually inspect your site for any suspicious or dangerous behavior. Among a list of benefits, SiteLock conducts website application scans, SQL injection scans and cross site scripting (XSS) scans across multiple website pages. These valuable scans will detect if the website has been intruded, evaluate the need for upgrades to third party applications, identify the potential for data breaches and provide any necessary steps needed for users to regain maximum security of their website immediately.
3) Secure Data Transports
When working with online transactions, businesses should seriously consider obtaining a Secure Socket Layer (SSL) certificate which is a security protocol that encrypts your site to ensure secure transactions, data transfers and logins. An SSL certificate will provide for a safe flow of information between your Web server and browser, guaranteeing message integrity. By obtaining your SSL certificate, you will be able to visibly show visitors how safe your site is. Activating the lock icon in the browser as well as displaying a "Smart Seal" will help your site illustrate a more secure online representation as compared to competitors and increase consumer's trust in your business.
4) Recovery Tools
It is inevitable that businesses will experience human error. Web professionals should be prepared should they encounter an experience such as realizing you have overwritten important data or exited without saving. These errors cost valuable time and effort that most individuals have little to spare. Web hosts implement tools such as 1&1's Webspace Recovery Tool which allows for the recovery of up to six days of data entry, making information restoration a painless process. Take the extra step of prevention to avoid wasting valuable time in a frustrating situation.
Online security is an essential aspect for the success of any Web professional and their visitors. By utilizing these steps and mentioned tools, you will give your online work the opportunity to go beyond these hesitations and instill peace of mind for all online viewers.
