People put a lot of faith into their web hosts, assuming that web hosting security is taken care of as an essential need. Without technological expertise, many website owners neglect this important part of their business practices in hopes that everything will be okay. On the contrary, users of shared hosting accounts, VPS, or dedicated servers all need to take precautions to ensure the security of their hosting environment.
When transferring files to or from your server, do you use FTP? If so, you maybe exposing yourself to security problems. You may think that FTP is safe enough but it is actually not a secure method of transfer. FTPS or SFTP are far better options, which will encrypt login and transfer. Your hosting provider can help you through this process if you find it confusing, especially logging in with a shell account. Do not let the technological requirements dissuade you from being safe!
If you run an e-commerce site, you should understand and use SSL. This is something many clients and website users look for when they know they are going to be dealing with money or other sensitive information, and if you do not want to turn potential customers away, make sure you can offer SSL.
Finally, a secure hosting environment is one that is up to date and backed-up. Both your and your customers’ information is of the utmost importance, and if you want to secure it, you need to be aware of all software updates, patches, and other fixes that prevent unwanted access to your data. Update and maintain your applications to ensure security. You should also regularly backup information and ensure that those backups actually work, in case you have a data loss event and need to restore. An offsite backup method is the best way to do this.
With a bit of careful planning and implementation of security routines, you can handle securing your hosting environment on your own, so you will be confident in the safety and protection of your valuable information.