We’re dedicated to data security for our business banking customers

Does your Utah company have a small business loan through First Utah Bank? Do you use our merchant services? Are you a business banking customer? No matter what your small business entrusts to First Utah Bank, you can be confident that we’re dedicated to protecting the private information of our business banking customers.

For starters, we use Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) to ensure the information you transmit to us via our website’s Internet Banking and the Treasury Management portals remain secure. SSL encrypts, or scrambles, the information you submit before it leaves your computer and then unscrambles the information when it is received by our Internet server.

We use both physical and automated security techniques to protect against unauthorized users gaining access to our Internet Banking applications. For instance, we keep our computer hardware secure and have firewalls to prevent unauthorized electronic access to the sites. We also monitor logon attempts into Internet Banking, and we have specialized hardware and software that control all external communications within our computer network. We constantly monitor these firewalls to help prevent security breaches.

You can learn more about these security measures and what to expect with our multi-factor authentication, which ensures that no one but you (or those you authorize) gain access to your accounts or information.

We also encourage our customers to use Secure Email when communicating with us. As you likely know, standard internet email is not always secure and should not be used to send us sensitive information such as your or your employees’ Social Security or account numbers. Do you own a small Salt Lake City business and are applying for a loan? You wouldn’t want to transmit your financial information via a standard email service. First Utah Bank customers create Secure Email accounts so that their information arrives securely with the intended bank personnel.

From time to time, we also like to share with our customers information we run across that can help better protect them from data security breaches. Earlier this summer, the IRS teamed up with tax professionals and states to issue what they call the Security Six, six steps that tax professionals can take to keep data secure. Tax professionals, of course, are often the tip of the sword when it comes to data security. Not only do they possess highly sensitive information about businesses and individuals, they transmit that information to federal and state governments every time they file tax returns electronically for their clients. The advice in these tips is good for any small business in any industry, and we thought our Salt Lake City customers — from those who use our credit card processing to small business loan customers — could benefit.

Anti-virus Software

Anti-virus software scrutinizes your computer files and memory for signs that a cyber crook has placed malicious software or malware in your computer. Installing and maintaining anti-virus software is a crucial task for small businesses. Be sure to download updates frequently, because the software is typically updated every day to address new issues. Automate your scans and perform manual scans often, and follow the software program’s suggestion to delete any malware you find. To protect yourself from spyware that’s designed to steal passwords or other sensitive information, don’t ever click on the links you find in pop-up windows or download software that claims to be free or able to provide you protection against spyware. If an email from an unfamiliar source shows up in your inbox, do not open it or click on any links within that email.

Firewalls

One way to guard against malicious web attacks is to add both hardware and software firewalls. You might still be attacked, but you will reduce the chance that the bad guys will get very far.

Multi-factor authentication

This protection simply requires users to pass muster in more than one way to gain access to accounts or to your network. A password provides the first level of protection. But multi-factor authentication means the user has to also enter a security code that’s sent by text or by email.

Backup software/services

Do you routinely copy your business’ critical files to an external hard drive or the cloud? This is vital for any company to protect not just against cyber hackers but such routine threats as computer failure.

Drive encryption

While tax professionals in particular should use drive encryption software for full-disk encryption, it’s a good idea for any business that keeps employees’ or customers’ information such as Social Security or credit card numbers. Drive encryption means that data on the computer is unreadable for an unauthorized person.

Virtual Private Network (VPN)

More and more employees are working away from the office these days, creating new security challenges. One answer to the data security challenge that presents is to use an encrypted Virtual Private Network (VPN). With such a network, there’s an encrypted tunnel between the remote user and the company network, insulating the network from those who shouldn’t be allowed access.

We hope you find these tips helpful in your own business. And if you ever have questions about what First Utah Bank is doing to keep your information secure, we hope you’ll ask! You can drop by any of our branches, call us at 801-308-2265 or email us using this contact form.