Most self-proclaimed computer security gurus will try to overwhelm you with technical industry jargon and advanced security recommendations to make it look like they know what they’re talking about and sell you overpriced services. But the truth of the matter is as simple as using a hosting service like the one provided by cloud technology or limiting the plugins you install.
In this article, you will see some key tactics that meet basic security standards. So you can sleep soundly at night knowing that your website for your business not only stays easy to use but also keeps you and your users safe. Let us take a look:
- Why should you host your website with a good hosting provider?
- How to limit and keep plugins in use up to date?
- Why use reCaptcha in the submission forms?
- How do cyber-attacks occur and how can we protect our URLs?
- Which services improve customer experience and enhance security?
- How can Connect Tech help you improve the security of your website?
1. Why should you host your website with a good hosting provider?
Hosting is an online storage service that allows you to publish a website or web application on the Internet. When you get hosting, you rent a space on a server. This space stores all the files and data of your website to make it work properly.
When you decide to build a new website, you will need to find a hosting company that will provide you with server space. Your hosting provider stores all your archives, media and databases on the server. Every time someone types your domain name in the address bar of their browser, your server transmits all the required files to handle the request.
You need to choose the hosting plan that best suits your needs (such as cloud hosting). Web hosting works in a similar way to renting a house; you have to pay the rent regularly to keep the server running continuously.
1.1 What do we mean when we talk about Cloud technology?
The software world is constantly changing and evolving. In 1999, the first enterprise service to offer business applications on a website appeared. It ended up being called cloud technology by the market. In other words, the definition of cloud technology is to offer services through the connectivity of the Internet.
Cloud technology democratizes access to world-class software resources because it provides a software application that serves diverse customers. Multi-location differs cloud technology from simple outsourcing and older application service provider models. Small businesses now can master the power of advanced technology in a scalable way.
Cloud technology offers individuals and businesses of all sizes the capability of a well-maintained, secure, easily accessible, on-demand pool of computing resources, such as servers, data storage, and application solution.
This provides companies with greater flexibility about their data and information. It can be accessible from any place and at any time. This makes it essential for companies with locations around the world or in different work environments. With a minimum of management, all the software elements of cloud technology can be scaled on-demand, all you need is an Internet connection.
1.2 Why is now the time to move to cloud computing?
One reason is: cloud technology dispenses with hardware. When a company offers its software, it must take control of the servers. These servers need a dedicated power supply and spare parts. They also need to be configured and monitored in case they have performance issues.
When the software becomes cloud-based, those concerns and the fluctuating costs with infrastructure substantially disappear, as the costs are predictable. The cloud technology provider bears the responsibility for dealing with those concerns. It should ensure that the process is smooth and uninterrupted in exchange for a fixed and reasonable software cost.
Another important point has to do with security. Cloud technology is extremely secure, often exceeding the security levels of traditional computing. This allows companies to attract and maintain a high-quality cybersecurity team. It also enables the implementation of state-of-the-art security practices and technologies.
Cloud providers work with a much larger budget. Because they need to ensure the security of all customers, each company benefits from the larger group, which translates into a higher level of security for everyone. With a stronger infrastructure, careful monitoring, and enforcement of security protocols, cloud technology can the best protection.
1.3 Which cloud computing models exist?
The IaaS (Infrastructure as a Service) model goes a step further in abstraction. It proved to the organizations the ability to leverage raw server resources. While the rest of the platform and software management falls under the responsibility of the enterprise. This allows for greater capacity without the need to worry about hardware requirements.
The SaaS (Software as a Service cloud technology) model focuses on providing access to software to the user via a browser. With this model, the underlying network, operational system, and resources run behind the scenes. This is a very popular application in cloud computing.
The PaaS (Platform as a Service) model can leverage the benefits of cloud technology while maintaining the freedom to develop custom software applications. Users can access PaaS in the same way as SaaS. The provider remains responsible for the maintenance of the operational system, network, servers, and security.
2. How to limit and keep plugins in use up to date?
One of the biggest mistakes most Webmasters make is that they download too many plugins to improve the UX of their site. A good user experience comes down to a handful of things, like clean design, easy navigation, and fast load times.
Adding dozens of unseen plugins to optimize the minutiae of your UX. This practice guaranteed a way to compromise the integrity of your website. Instead, we recommend that you choose a small number of plugins that get well-reviewed and approved by your CMS or website builder.
This will mitigate the chances of your website being attacked and make it significantly easier to manage the site. Just ensure that you keep them up to date to correct potential weaknesses as they arise.
All these are always positive events to improve, as they not only make your life easier, but also improve the browsing experience for your customers, and ultimately it will be a step to improve.
2.1 Why not update all at once and with a big difference in time from version to version?
We believe that updating regularly for security holes has the most important role to play, both technically and in terms of user experience. It should not happen if there is a good roadmap drawn during the development of an application.
We recommend periodically updating the components of your website every 15 days or every month. We do not recommend upgrades every 3 or 4 months because usually the developments introduce improvements from time to time.
This may even modify pieces of code that affected the version immediately after the one for which it was intended. It also applies small mini-updates that fix some hiccups that may occur. In addition, there may be a series of errors that make your website not safe from possible attacks by hackers.
Updating with so much difference in time can cause the base plugin does not to work. This is because during that time a piece of code was introduced that affected the global set of the module. Then we do not know where the problem can come from.
3. Why use reCaptcha in the submission forms?
This recommendation will have an appreciable impact on the quality of the user experience of your site. Setting up a ReCaptcha for your various forms is not user-friendly. However, you should consider that this simple tactic will protect you against 90% of potential spam tactics and hacking.
An automated program or ¨bot¨ locates a form within your web page that has no captcha and starts invading your email inbox with a huge amount of spam, emails asking for your bank password, or sending advertising from unreliable companies.
These automated programs should not be taken lightly. Because this problem persists it can lead to major problems that can even cause your site’s IP address to be “blacklisted” from appearing in search engines.
Then, what started as a simple bot trying to consume your server resources to send spam. It can lead you to take down your web page and list your IP address on the “blacklist” causing permanent damage to your corporate image on the Internet.
4. How do cyber-attacks occur and how can we protect our URLs?
The easiest way for a cybercriminal to break into your admin panel and wreak havoc on your website is through a brute force attack. A brute force attack is simply an attack where a hacker will go to your login page and then use automated software to quickly guess different combinations of numbers and letters until they break your username and password.
However, a hacker cannot execute a brute force attack if they do not know the login URL of your page. Most websites use the traditional URL to log into your site. This means hackers know exactly where to go if they want to brute force their way into your admin panel. They can do this by using a plugin change can change a URL to a custom address and stop 99% of brute force attacks.
In addition to all this, we can include some security protocols, such as SSL (Secure Socket Layer), to make our links and navigation more secure for the users of the platform. This is good for the user experience and great for the security of your site.
An SSL (Secure Socket Layer) is a standard security protocol that establishes an encrypted link between a web server and a browser. This means that the information your customers and members of the public submit on your website cannot be intercepted by cybercriminals.
5. Which services improve customer experience and enhance security?
The worst mistake a webmaster can make in terms of affecting the user experience is to allow users to lose access to your website and that scenario is far more common than you might imagine. By setting up the generation of backups of your website on a daily (or at least weekly) basis, you will prevent your data and content from being lost in the event of a security breach
This ensures that your users always have a place to look for the latest and greatest in their particular niche. You can also do this manually or ask your web hosting provider to back up your website regularly. Therefore allowing everyone to have access to the web at any time, besides being a great user experience, can also result in a security problem.
A simple tactic to improve the security of your website is to use a separate platform as your checkout page. Offering a list of products on your website and then sending customers to a secure checkout page to complete the purchase. This strategy will not take anything away from the user experience, but it will add another barrier for hackers to ensure customers remain secure.
6. How can Connect Tech help you improve the security of your website?
As we have already seen there are different ways to increase the security of your website. At Connect Tech, we are specialists in everything regarding cyber security. Secure your website and your users from:
- Malware or malicious software
- Ransomware
- Phishing
- DDoS (Distributed Denial of Service) attacks
Connect Tech also offers cloud technology services, which include more powerful cloud-based services: Software-defined networking (SDN), Cloud applications, SaaS Data Center Developments, Cloud implementation, and configurations, Managed Cloud Security Services, and Renewing your IT infrastructure.
Looking for a client-friendly company to help you keep your website secure? Connect Tech is your best choice. You can contact us at +971 433 16 688. You can also email us at CONTACT@CONNECTECH.DEV for more information.
Also if you are looking for a place to send a resume you can do it through thetalentpoint.com. Do not forget that all documents and resumes sent to contact@thetalentpoint.com will not be stored.cloud technology
