Protecting company data on LinkedIn for Business
LinkedIn for business is the top-rated social network for lead generation and best way for organisations to tap into existing connections and grow their brand through word-of-mouth. It is important to think about how a business is represented in a professional environment and LinkedIn allows users to customise how their business profiles can be viewed and who can see information about their brand. Like other social networks, though, LinkedIn has also been affected by security breaches in the past. LinkedIn for Business accounts should be safeguarded by choosing who sees business email addresses, what information is made public and whether the company profile should be visible to search engines. Here are five practical tips to help protect company data on LinkedIn whilst still getting the company’s brand out there:
- Keep your LinkedIn password updated
The power of the password is highly underrated. To be safe, LinkedIn passwords should be changed regularly. If LinkedIn has not been used by in a while, the site may force users to change their password the next time they log in.
- Limit the information shared on your business profile
Business relationships are less personal than those that you have on Facebook. Companies may be more open to letting people into their business social networks with the purpose of meeting new business contacts that could help boost business. Company contact information such as phone numbers or a physical business address should be limited for better protection.
- Use LinkedIn’s secure browsing mode
LinkedIn offers secure browsing via an HTTPS option that is a must-use feature, especially if you use LinkedIn from coffee shops, airports, or anywhere else with public Wi-Fi hotspots where eavesdropping hackers troll with packet-sniffing hacking tools.
- Two-step verification for your business profile
Two-step verification requires a user to utilise more than one form of verification to access an account. Two-step verification is a much stronger form of account protection that is intended to prevent other people from accessing your account. LinkedIn grants users the ability to turn on two-step verification for their accounts which will require an account password and a numeric code sent to a designated number via SMS whenever there is an attempt to sign in from a device that LinkedIn does not recognise.
- Look out for phishing and spam emails
Phishing is a common tactic that criminals use to try and steal information or money by requesting personal or sensitive information. LinkedIn will never ask users for sensitive or financial information via email. LinkedIn will also never ask users to open an email attachment or install a software update. If a message contains a threat of some kind, such as deleting your account unless action is taken right away, it should be reported as spam and LinkedIn alerted immediately about the suspicious activity.
There is lots of potentially sensitive information on a LinkedIn business profile that can be obtained about a company. Privacy means having the choice of how others see your information and how it gets used. Implementing these tips into your general LinkedIn for Business etiquette can greatly reduce the risk of identity theft and unauthorised access to sensitive information whilst protecting your company data.
