Cybersecurity is often seen as a major concern for tech companies. However, it matters for businesses in every industry, including janitorial product distributors. Even if your company doesn’t provide cleaning services directly, you still handle sensitive customer information, from order histories and payment details to contracts and inventory data. Beyond avoiding data breaches, protecting this information is essential to maintaining trust and keeping operations running.
Here are three essential steps janitorial companies can take to keep customer data secure.
Encrypt Customer Data to Prevent Unauthorized Access
One of the most effective ways to protect sensitive information is through encryption, which is a process that scrambles data into a code that can only be read by someone with the right key. This prevents unauthorized access, making it much harder for hackers to steal or misuse information. Any customer data your company handles (whether it’s orders, payment details, or contract information) should be encrypted both when it’s stored and when it’s transmitted online.
For example, when processing payments or customer orders through your website, using SSL/TLS encryption secures the data exchange between customers and your servers. SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) and TLS (Transport Layer Security) are protocols that encrypt data as it travels across the internet, preventing hackers from intercepting sensitive information.
Encryption makes it harder for cybercriminals to use stolen data even if they manage to break through other security layers. However, encryption methods can become outdated over time, so it’s important to regularly update encryption protocols to keep your data protection methods strong.
Train Employees on Cybersecurity Best Practices
Advanced security systems can easily be compromised if employees aren’t properly trained to recognize cybersecurity threats. Implementing regular training programs to educate employees on the importance of safeguarding customer data and preventing cyberattacks can reduce the chances of something happening.
Team members should be taught how to recognize phishing emails, suspicious attachments, and other abnormal links that could potentially compromise security. It’s crucial for employees to understand password policies and the risks of sharing login credentials to prevent any chance of security issues.
Back Up Data Regularly to Avoid Permanent Loss
Losing customer data, whether due to a cyberattack, hardware failure, system crashes, or accidental deletion cause serious disruptions. For janitorial product distributors, missing order records or payment details can lead to lost revenue and frustrated customers.
To prevent this, it’s important to have secure, automated backups. Scheduling regular backups daily or weekly (preferably daily) guarantees that the most recent data is always available when you need it.
Final Thoughts
Janitorial companies may not be the first businesses people think of when it comes to cybersecurity, but protecting customer data is just as important in this industry as any other. When you encrypt sensitive information and maintain reliable backups, your company can reduce security risks and maintain customer trust. After all, protection is simply a means to keeping your business operations intact and building long-term relationships with your customers.