How to Manage Digital Risk for Your Web Design Business

The 21^st century has created major change for almost all aspects of our society. From the way that people interact with one another to the methods in which we utilize transportation, it is evident that the modern era has experienced a multitude of change. One of the most influenced sectors of our civilization in recent years has been the economy. New types of businesses are being created, and one of the most influential industries that exists in 2019 is web design. Web design is an incredibly important entity within the economy, as almost all businesses need their own websites. While running a web design company certainly has the potential to be incredibly lucrative, it is important to understand that there are numerous risks that come with running a company in this type of industry as well. Web design obviously entails dealing with the Internet on a daily basis, so it is imperative that your business is safe from cyber criminals in order to effectively operate your company. These threats are known as digital risk, and in order to keep your business protected in the 21^st century, it is crucial to learn about how to manage it.    

Understanding the Threats of Digital Risk

Understanding digital risk is imperative when running a web design company, as your business constantly has the potential to be threatened by malicious hackers. There are three main tenants of digital risk that you have to comprehend in order to know how to manage this threat to your business. First is data loss detection, which entails regular monitoring for possible exposed data within documentation, credentials, and intellectual property. Next is defending online brand security, which can be done through protecting your business’ social media accounts, mobile apps, and identifying phishing scams that are impersonating your company. The final tenant is attack surface reduction, which entails guarding your company’s IT infrastructure from hackers. 

How to Shield Your Company from Digital Risk

Now that you have a basic understanding of what digital risk is, it is crucial to learn how to defend your web design business from it. There are many possibilities for managing digital risk, and in order to effectively shield your company from threats, you need to know exactly what to do. Firstly, it is essential for you to identify your company’s critical assets and figure out what sensitive data your business has that a cyber criminal would want to steal. This can include financial data, client information, and much more. You will then have to monitor for unwanted exposure that your business presents through numerous platforms, such as file-sharing sites, the deep, dark, and open webs, as well as criminal forums and other sources. After you know what your company needs to have protected, it is important that you set up a plan to actually mitigate these digital risks. You can do this by reducing your attack surface, setting up network blocking actions, removing offending content from the web, updating risk and threat models, and much more. Understanding digital risk and learning how to guard yourself from it is crucial to running a successful web design agency in the 21^st century. 

Final Thoughts

As the world becomes more interconnected with the Internet, the possibilities for digital risk will only increase. This is why it is so important for all web design agencies to learn about digital risk and understand how to defend themselves against it.