As most businesses rely on the use of technology these days, there is a continual need to monitor any cyber threats that have the potential to infiltrate any of their online systems. While these attacks are an ongoing concern for companies, fortunately, there are ways to decrease and deter them.

Some methods of increasing cybersecurity for your business can include implementing measures such as using multi-factor authentication for logging into computers and other devices, as well as ensuring that firewall configurations are reviewed and updated on a regular basis. Additionally, customer data should also be protected at all costs so that any issues related to credit card fraud, such as identify theft do no occur.

As these types of threats can certainly interfere with the level of success a business can experience, being proactive and taking steps to update the methods used to counteract them is truly the best defense.

Once again, the ever-evolving ways that technology has enable businesses to continue to remain competitive, especially over the last year include the strategies that are being used to serve their customers, such as the methods they use when offering online purchases. Over the next couple of years, online sales will only continue to rise, and in order to maintain the growth of your business, and if you haven’t already, you may want to seriously consider expanding your e-commerce presence.

As these current trends are likely to continue, it is anticipated that nearly 75% of all sales will be done via mobile device throughout 2021. With online commerce apps being on the rise, switching to this approach can also be an extremely effective way to strengthen your business in the new year.

Particularly at this time, it is extremely important to plan ahead for any unforeseen events. While it is definitely true that we can not always know what will happen, there are steps to take to plan ahead and having some contingency plans in places that will allow for adjusting your business strategies as needed will be necessary.

One main method of preparing for this new year is to start by taking note of recent business trends. This can help you to predict how these markets will be in 2021 as the country and world look to recover from the effects of COVID-19. Recognizing too, that these effects are likely to have long-lasting implications, is also an important realization. The fact that, certain business approaches such as e-commerce and various automation services have recently  proven to increase business efficiency, with the reality being that they are here to stay, is an important perspective to acknowledge moving forward.

This year has taught us many things, and perhaps above all has made us realize that we need to be prepared for uncertainty. By looking at the events of the past year and how businesses have either pivoted to new approaches and succeeded or stood still and unfortunately fell behind, you can take these cues and use this knowledge to ensure you have done all you can to protect and set your business up for the most success possible in 2021.