Four Major Business Protections and Trends to Focus on in 2018 and Beyond
Safety represents the top priority of just about every business owner, right?
This is especially true in 2018 with more and more concerns about cybersecurity, breaches and potential internal scandals.
Whether it’s your assets, intellectual property or everything in-between, it’s crucial that you’re keeping your company under lock and key regardless of its size.
Doing so doesn’t have to feel like a massive headache when you understand what to expect in 2018 and the near future, too. In fact, we’ve outlined four smart ways businesses can protect themselves and their bottom lines.
photo/ Jan Alexander
Double Check Your Compliances
If the world of compliance is totally new to you, it’s time to start doing your homework. For example, do you what the differences between NIST and FedRAMP are? What does risk mean to your company and what processes do you have in place to avoid potential legal trouble?
From ramping up your security to protecting yourself from an auditing nightmare, keeping a closer eye on compliances will definitely help you out down the road.
Invest in Cybersecurity
Boasting a dedicated cybersecurity solution is an expectation of today’s company, but bear in mind that today we’re dealing with a myriad of treats both internal and external. For example, you need to raise awareness for threats of all shapes and sizes such as:
- Brute force DDoS or DNS attacks and the botnets that carry them out
- Data breaches or stealing of intellectual property at the hands of former employees
- Phishing scams that occur internally
Beyond having a security solution or team on deck, emphasizing a cautious company culture is also a major plus for companies in 2018
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Take Care of Your Taxes
When you think about protections, you probably don’t think about how your personal or business taxes come into the mix. That said, your bottom line and finances always matter and represent assets you should always be looking to protect.
Especially in the face of rapid legislative changes, it’s crucial to find ways to reduce your personal taxes, for example. Whether it’s contributing to an IRA, focusing on charitable donations or setting up your home office space, smart handling of your money means protection of your finances.
Assess Marketing Changes
It’s no secret that the web is always evolving from a marketing perspective, but it’s also no longer the wild, wild west. In other words, businesses today have a decent pulse on what marketing channels are worthwhile for the bulk of businesses out there.
But also bear in mind significant developments such as recent changes to Facebook’s algorithm. This is yet another reminder that marketers shouldn’t put all of their eggs in the same basket. Diversification is key to actually scoring new clients and customers, meanwhile protecting yourself from having your best marketing channels suddenly taken away from you.
For example, a smart baseline of marketing for most businesses include a combination of the following:
- Email marketing and list-building to communicate with current customers, send discounts and promotions
- Blogging for SEO purposes, including targeting organic keywords and capturing leads
- Social media for customer services concerns and the ability to immediately respond to your base
From legal snafus to cyber breaches and changing in marketing technology, protecting a business isn’t as simple as flipping a switch. By knowing exactly what to look out for and how to keep potential problems at bay, you can run your business with newfound peace of mind in 2018 and beyond.
Author: Carmelo Hannity
