Collaborative Post¦ The trend for side hustles has been on the rise, with almost half of Brits venturing into entrepreneurial endeavours alongside their day-to-day jobs. A significant number of people in the UK are looking into side hustles for a variety of reasons, Many choose to pursue a passion that isn’t part of the worklife. This is a smarty way to supplement their passion as they can monetise their efforts via the side hustles. For more and more Britons, the side hustle is a secondary source of income, which has become essential in the current economic situation.
While there are numerous side hustle options, Britons tend to prefer digital hustles that rely on technology. This allows them to easily work from the comfort of their home, whether they provide social media services or produce content or even give fitness instruction online. When working in a digitally-focused environment, managing and protecting digital data becomes a priority.
The need for data protection
Data protection is an essential aspect of managing a digital side hustle effectively. Data protection services involve implementing measures to safeguard sensitive information and ensure compliance with the relevant regulations. It goes without saying, this is a complex field that is sector and location dependent. To be on the safe side, side hustlers can reach out to specialists who can identify the relevant steps that need to be taken.
Neglecting data protection comes at a high cost, including legal liability, regulatory penalties, and financial losses.
The importance of IT maintenance
Digital side hustles rely on IT devices to create, handle, and store data. A simple bug could put your side hustle at risk. So, it is worth investing in regular IT maintenance, such as support services and update management, even as a side hustler.
Downtime can result in damaging delays and affect your side hustle operation. In the long term, this can impact customer satisfaction. Besides, even if you are confident you can overcome IT failures, outdated systems are prone to security risks and may not be compatible with recent tools.
Cybersecurity and data management
Finally, any business that operates digitally can become a target to cyber criminals. Contrary to common belief, hackers prefer to target small businesses and side hustles, even though the financial gains are low. Indeed, many small ventures do not take sufficient measures to protect themselves from harmful data breaches and other cyber attacks. This can be linked to a variety of issues, including:
- The assumption that only big companies are targeted
- Lack of knowledge
- Lack of IT monitoring
It is not uncommon for self-managed side hustles to fall into cyber security traps. The consequences can be devastating, from loss of reputation to financial losses. You may want to reach out to experts to discuss the best strategy to protect a venture of your size and activity levels. Besides, it is worth considering cyber awareness training. Countless chambers of commerce and citizen organisations across the UK run educational workshops on how to recognise spams, phishing, and protect yourself. At the very least, educate yourself with the help of a search engine. If you’re using APIs, for example, try searching for the top 10 api security risks.
As more individuals embark on side hustles, embracing technology for data management becomes imperative. Remember: Being a small player doesn’t protect you from any of the data-related risks that come with digital technology.