The Importance of Cybersecurity in Vendor Transitions
Got a call from a web hosting company I used to use as a vendor and they asked me, are you still the contact for [company name]? I said, “No, I no longer work there.”
That should have been the end of the conversation.
“Thank you sir, have a good day.”
But it wasn’t.
Instead it went more like, “Ok, can you tell me if [Name of coworker] is still a good person to contact?
“I don’t know, I no longer work there.”
Is the email address [reads the email address] still a valid contact for them?
“I don’t know, I no longer work there.”
I was afraid. Genuinely afraid.
I think I had, in that moment, the power to change account information, upgrade, downgrade, or transfer service for my former employer’s website.
Kind of a big deal. Kind of a big security risk.
I love Jesus a lot, and I want to represent Him well. So all I said was “I don’t know. I no longer work there.” I didn’t validate any of the information they had, which would be valuable if they were a hacker or real, and I didn’t take over control of the hosting, which would be a disaster for sure.
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Cybersecurity is a big deal. It can wreck your small business or your big business (as we know from the big medical provider ransomware attack a few years ago.)
Take your company’s security seriously whenever you change vendors. When an employee leaves, especially one that runs your entire marketing department, follow up and make sure they are removed from everything.
When you change vendors, make sure the old vendors don’t have access to anything. If you want them to do some work, it’s easy to give them access again. It’s not personal, it’s removing them from liability.
When I’m done helping clients with their SEO and I’m no longer contracted with them, I ask them on my invoice, please remove my login from your WordPress site and remove me from your Google Analytics unless you want to keep me on as a possible vendor in the future.
Keeping your security clean in the first place is WAY CHEAPER than doing clean up after the fact. Take the time. It’s worth it.
