The safety and security of your customers is an essential thing to think about if you want a good business reputation. Apart from making sure that you are complying with any laws or regulations, you need to keep your customers happy by showing that you care about their privacy and safety. If you don’t take care of them, they could easily find an alternative that will help to keep them more secure. To protect your customers and your business reputation too, you should make sure that your business takes steps to handle their information carefully and does things to protect their physical safety too.
Stay on Top of Security Updates
To start simple, one of the most important things your business can do is to keep any software up to date. When you don’t install updates as they’re needed, you could leave vulnerabilities that are easily exploited. There have been some significant cybersecurity problems caused by vulnerabilities in software, so it’s vital to install patches and updates when they become available. Even a small business can schedule these updates to take place automatically to make sure that they take place. Outsourcing your IT services can help you to keep everything secure.
Implement Identity Security
Some organizations may need sophisticated tools to help keep their customer information secure while also protecting the business. One major part of your IT security and access control may be Identity Governance and Administration, which ensures the right users get access to the right applications. IGA solutions ensure only the necessary people in your company have access to sensitive information or different types of tools. They make it possible to manage the lifecycle of users and set rules about who has access to what. This can be useful for many things, from banking to education.
Deliver a Safe Product/Service
You have a legal responsibility to provide a product or service that is safe, so it’s important to know which regulations may apply to your business and which governing bodies might have oversight. As well as focusing on compliance, there may be other ways in which you can ensure your business is providing a safe product or service. For example, responding to feedback from customers in the right way can help to keep them safe. Businesses providing face-to-face services, for example, can keep customers safe by having policies on how to deal with reports of harassment or inappropriate behavior.
Maintain Safe Business Premises
Keeping your business premises safe is another thing to consider if you want to ensure safety for your customers. Any accidents or negligence could range from being a civil issue to leaving you liable for criminal charges. Hygiene is one element of safety on your business premises that needs to be addressed, particularly for organizations such as food services or health services. Be sure to take steps to prevent accidents, too, from securing off-limits areas to removing (or warning of) trip hazards.
You can protect your business reputation if you keep your customers safe and secure. There are various ways to do it and keep your customers happy.
I have nearly hit the 6-year mark as a vestibular migraine sufferer.
I know many have asked how I got back to ‘normal’ or should I say the NEW normal so here is a link to my Youtube channel for more info but this post is more about how I have to live my life now and what triggers I need to watch out for, as once you are hit with this, your life changes permanently.
I have had relapses that’s for sure! Most recently a 3-week relapse that was very severe and it led me to be bed bound for a few days again and then on and off dizziness for three weeks, but now I am back to 95% again and to be honest, I have found that since the very first attack all those years ago, I have NEVER gone back to how bad I was which has always been my biggest fear!
So how has my life changed?
Friends – In the past few years, I have learned to avoid friends and family members that can cause a lot of stress in my life. Seeing as stress is my NUMBER ONE trigger, I had to be more careful about who I let into my life and how I whom I spent the majority of my time with.
I no longer try to be a shoulder to cry on all the time, it is exhausting and I needed that energy for my recovery. You soon find your true friends throughout all this as the ones that you are no longer giving your undivided attention too will drop away whilst your true friends will stick by you.
I used to avoid certain people completely but now I try to balance it out to people that are fun to go out with socially ( Good time friends ) and the friends that are there for you 24/7 if need be and who truly have your back.
I have learned to say ‘No’ more and have stronger boundaries too. Over time people have come to understand my condition so will not pile their problems onto me or ask me for favours that they know will drain me or be highly stressful. I no longer feel guilty for this, it is a matter of survival.
Career – So my career went out the window. I was a full-time marketing manager for a big travel company and I had to give up my job as being on a computer for 8 hours a day was impossible.
Even now, writing this I find it very difficult. I get brain fog if I am on here too long and have to go back and correct a word in every sentence!
I decided to leave my job behind and I tried to work with children as a TA for around a year but this caused me to relapse as there were so many triggers for me! Stress, bright lights, loud noises and lots of movement. It became too much and I would find myself swaying when I was on lunch duty, not to mention as well as a TA I was a carer to a girl there that needed around the clock attention and certain medical needs and after a while, I had to just leave completely as I ended up taking so much time off sick, I was not there for her and it was unfair.
I still miss my kids so much…….
I now work part-time from home on my laptop and have hours that suit me. I cannot see myself going back to a full-time job again. Overall, I am a lot happier and healthier!
Exercise – I used to be very very active. I used to surf, run, go to the gym and all in all I have always loved sports.
I can now no longer go to the gym as I find any weights I lift will put pressure on my shoulders and neck and cause migraines. Also, any high impact sports such as running or Zumba for example, are a no go as any stomping causes migraines again.
So I started ice skating lol! I LOVED it! When coronavirus hit I had to give it up and instead took up rollerblading. It has been very challenging, not so much the balance funnily enough but the stamina needed and our bodies are working twice as hard as anyone else to keep us upright!
I used to say to my partner when you work out, your body gets tired, but when I work out, my brain gets tired and that’s worse as it sets off the chronic fatigue, dizziness, and problems with thinking, co-ordination, brain fog and difficulties speaking.
Roller blading is low impact and helps with my vestibular recovery.
I am also almost certain I have PPPD which is why I have been chronically dizzy for years and why it comes back if I am super stressed or anxious.
Given up on skating technique, had to adjust to compensate for the balance issues but sooooooo happy to be skating again
Stress – It’s hard to avoid in life and I find that a lot of people that have vestibular migraines tend to be highly strung, worriers or have a lot of anxiety too and I find this really does worsen our symptoms.
Ok, so I am so crap at meditation! But I lead a much slower and calmer life now. I wake up later, I rest for a few hours, I work, then I go for daily walks and fresh air or skate, go back to working again.
My meditation is actually reading my kindle in my local coffee shop every day. It helps me to zone out from all my worries and have a little bit of peace.
I am now also in Sweden and it has made a MASSIVE difference staying here in the country compared to London. No noise, lights, traffic, busy streets, people lol!
So yes, this is the NEW normal. it has taken a lot of getting used too, but I am happier, more settled in my life too. The career is not so important to me anymore, more being with loved ones and valuing friendship and simple things like a skate in Hyde Park with the sun on my face.
I may not be able to do everything I used to do, but instead, I have swapped them for other activities and a career that gives me a better work/life balance.
I can STILL drink and party really hard if I want too and dance for hours lol. But what I have learned with this illness is a one-off is ok, but to burn the candle at both ends regularly would be too risky.
Overall, I would say I am more rested and take each day as it comes. I rarely make big plans now that will lead up to anxiety etc, I am more ‘spur of the moment’ depending on my energy reserves.
I am also with a new partner for the last year that supports me 100% and I feel very calm around him. It is so vital we have that support from loved ones! Before I met him I thought I would rather be on my own than have to conform to someone else’s idea of how I should be….. how I should put on a brave face when I feel like crying, how I should just ‘get on with it’ etc.
You see, this illness is all about balance, not too much of this, not too much of that, but when you start to get that balance right, no matter how many years it could take you, life really does become worth living again.
The coronavirus and Covid-19 pandemic have impacted almost all aspects of all businesses. It has knocked sales, it has forced many businesses to close doors, it has forced many businesses to operate on a remote basis and more. Social isolation and social distancing measures have made us adapt quickly and you’re going to feel like there are a million different things you need to focus on in order to keep up and running. But one area you’re really going to have to focus on is cybersecurity. Businesses are facing a number of cybersecurity risks now than ever. Hackers and cybercriminals are well aware that businesses are more vulnerable now than ever. Remote workers are more likely to make mistakes. People are more likely to be operating on unsecure networks. There are all sorts of vulnerabilities that cybercriminals can take advantage of! So, now, more than ever, you really need to implement digital security measures to protect your business, its data and its finances. Here are a few steps you can take to achieve this.
Use IT Services
The first, and perhaps most effective, thing you can do to protect your business on a cyber level is to make use of professional IT support. These services will be able to protect your business from every angle. It also reduces the weight and responsibility on your own shoulders when it comes to researching and implementing security solutions. These professionals already know the ins and outs of threats to your business and will be able to implement the best solutions possible. On top of this, outsourcing ensures you don’t have to take on more permanent staff to form an in-house IT team during these already difficult and uncertain times.
Protect Yourself from Phishing
Phishing is one of the most common methods used by hackers to gain access to your systems and data. This is essentially the use of deceptive emails and websites to gain access to your protected or personal information. Train yourself and your employees in this area, highlighting what phishing is, how to identify phishing and how to avoid falling prey to phishing. Some clues of phishing emails include emails from slightly off email address (for example, paypil.com), poor spelling or grammar, generic greetings that do not use the recipient’s actual name (such as “sir” or “madam”) and outright or direct requests for secure information.
Set Clear Rules for Employees
Whenever your employees work online, they should only be using applications (apps) or programs that have authorised by you and your company. Make sure that your staff aren’t using unauthorised apps or programmes to do their work. This could leave your business open to security breaches and malware. Set clear rules regarding what your staff can and can’t use when they’re working from home to prevent issues from arising. These are strange times and your mind is bound to be all over the place. But there are steps you can take to protect your business and profits. Focusing on cybersecurity is just one of them, but it is absolutely essential!
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