The convenience of doing business (and everything else) online comes at a price. Without proper salon security procedures, you could be putting your business and guests at risk. Put these eight cybersecurity measures in place so you, your staff, and your guests can enjoy much greater peace of mind. 

1. Educate your team 

The first step to better salon cybersecurity is to establish best practices and make sure all of your employees understand them fully. These practices should include password protocols, internet guidelines, and how to best protect customer information.

Put your guidelines in your employee handbook, on your internal website, and in the back room. Discuss them with employees regularly at staff meetings and one-on-ones. Make this task easier by only giving employees access to the software they need to do their job.

Finally, hold your team accountable if they violate security rules—your guest’s identity or financial information could be at stake.

2. Protect your software and internet

Secure operating systems and web browsers can help protect your salon from cybersecurity threats.

All of your salon’s computers should be equipped with antivirus software that checks software and all other systems automatically on a regular basis. In addition, set up a firewall to prevent anyone from accessing data on your network. 

It’s also important to keep up with your operating system and application updates. Software companies constantly make security improvements designed to protect your systems. Remember to protect all pages on your public-facing websites as well, not just your online booking or eCommerce pages.

3. Always back up

With cloud-based software, back-ups happen regularly and automatically (thank goodness!). 

However, you should still regularly check that all of your important documents, databases, spreadsheets, human resources info, accounts payable, and more are securely backed up on the cloud or offsite every week.

4. Create a password policy 

At least every three months, require employees to change their unique passwords. Put strong password requirements in place, possibly even requiring two-factor authorization for your most important systems. 

Have vendors that handle sensitive data for your salon? Find out if they offer multi-factor authentication as well. 

A standard and automatic process for updating passwords is one of the best salon security procedures to set up. 

5. Mind your mobile devices 

With stylists booking clients and checking schedules on their phones all day long with tools like SalonBiz’s Stylist App, protecting their mobile devices is more important than ever. 

Require all employees to password-protect their devices and install salon security apps to protect their client information when phones are on public networks. Also create reporting procedures for lost or stolen devices.

6. Control your computers

Lock computers up when unattended—particularly tablets and laptops, as they are easily stolen. Create separate user accounts for every employee and require strong passwords. 

Administrative privileges should only be given to trusted IT staff and managers.

7. Secure your wi-fi

Offering wi-fi to guests and your staff is a must, but they shouldn’t be on the same wi-fi network. 

Make sure the wi-fi for your team is secure, encrypted, and hidden. To hide your network, set up your wireless access point or router so it does not broadcast the network name to the public and password protect access to the router.

8. Follow best practices for financial information 

The last thing you want is your guests’ credit card security compromised. Work with your bank or processor to ensure they’re using best-in-class PCI-compliant practices to protect financial information. 

For example, SalonBiz’s salon management software offers integrated payments with PaySimple. You can process credit and debit transactions securely, or even store cards-on-file for easier payments in the future. All of these transactions are protected by industry-leading security protocols to keep your guests’ information safe.  

Want to learn more about salon security procedures and tools that can help? Contact SalonBiz today to set up a demo!