Keeping your Utah business secure in a remote world

It’s just a fact of business life now — many employees are working remotely in their home offices. With the pandemic still in swing, either hybrid spaces or completely remote working opportunities, are everywhere in Utah.

This also means that you need to keep your digital assets as safe as your financial ones. The way to do that is to practice good cybersecurity techniques. We recently came across some helpful sources online that consolidated some of these ideas for online security, all from a local business leader.

There’s also a convenience that can be offered by doing some elements of your day-to-day financial work online, including business banking. One option that’s offered by First Utah Bank is free checking for businesses.

Simple advice to remember

Let’s start with some easy tips to follow when it comes to working remotely in the safest manner possible. You can pass these on to your employees, and be sure to use these yourself and model some great behavior.

One of the basics listed by the Open Sourced Workplace website is to ensure that your security software is up to date. This is so you don’t have any potential for breaches.

In addition, it’s a good idea to make sure the passwords you use are strong. This includes using numbers, letters and symbols in some combination that isn’t all that easy for someone to guess.

Another technique to remember is to not get click-happy on just every link you see in an email or text. This is a common spot for hackers to place malware on your computer or phone, causing slowdowns or break-downs in your computer system.

It’s also prudent to be cyber-safe on collaboration sites as well. Most of the video-driven sites use chat rooms that you can make secure and closed to others entering. Be sure to take advantage of that feature every time you set up a call in this manner.

How leaders can take charge of cybersecurity

Deneiva Knight, an external affairs officer with Comcast in Salt Lake City, shared some online protection advice from her own leaders for a Utah Business article. In the piece, the Vice President for Engineering for Comcast Mountain West — Bryan Thomas — shares this telling stat: two-thirds of small businesses in the US have had a cyber-attack take place in some way, whether small or large.

To that end, there are three specific things that Thomas and Knight recommend all businesses accomplish to improve their cybersecurity.

Strategize: Have something in writing that details what your company is doing in terms of software purchasing and policies.

Train: Talk to your employees and model behavior when it comes to online security. Make sure everyone can identify a threat when they see it.

Take action: When you have policies in place, ensure they’re the strongest concerning public-facing or external systems, such as email or cloud file sharing.

There is also a four-part plan that will help your business stay on top of the latest trends and tools when it comes to cybersecurity. Here’s what to remember:

• Implement advanced protections
• Make sure personal devices are also secured
• Test to make sure the policies are working
• Get experts to help you so you can recognize all threats

It’s true that people are becoming more aware of cybersecurity, but it’s always safe insurance to clarify your company rules. “With a combination of the right technology solutions and the implementation of cybersecurity best practices, businesses can better protect employees, assets, and customers from cybercriminals who are taking advantage of the pandemic,” Knight writes.

Free checking option is part of Utah business banking

Finding the right tools and methods to be cyber-secure is just one pre-planning aspect of running a business these days. There are other options for you to better run your business and its assets. For instance, if your business averages fewer than 100 ACH checks and debits per month, First Utah Bank can offer free business checking as a method to maximize your time when managing your money.

There is no minimum balance required for the free business checking program at First Utah Bank and it includes unlimited debit card transactions and deposits as well as free mobile and internet banking. The program is also insured to the legal maximum by the FDIC.

If free checking isn’t quite the right fit, consider other options offered by First Utah Bank. Among them is a commercial checking account for higher transaction volumes that also gives you an earnings credit allowance based on your balances.

First Utah Bank has the knowledge and the resources to make business banking in Lehi the best it can be. Learn more at our business checking website, or call First Utah Bank at (801) 308-2265.