As part of the planning process for your e-business, consideration needs to be given to the security of your website, emails and the computer systems that support them. Conducting business online requires that you send information safely between people and companies and you protect your computer systems, files and records against viruses, physical damage (eg fire) and intentional theft.

There are many issues to do with security that are dealt with in another section of this website - Protecting.  But to give you an idea of the types of issues involved, consider what happens when you send information over the Internet (for example, paying a bill via an online banking site or sending an email to a prospective client).  There are some basic security questions you should always consider:

Authenticity - "How do I know who sent me this?" For most online transactions, businesses will want to know that the person conducting the transaction is who they claim to be. For example, only authorised signatories should be able to access a business bank account.

Security - "How do I know this hasn't been tampered with?" Businesses must be confident that transaction details and other valuable commercial information will not be accessible to anyone other than those involved in the transaction. For example, when using online banking, transaction details should not be able to be intercepted.

Privacy and confidentiality - "How do I know no-one else will see this?" All businesses have an obligation to ensure that confidential customer data remains private, and that customers have control over how that information is used. As of December 2001, businesses with a turnover of greater than $3 million must comply with new Federal privacy legislation to protect customers' personal information.

What to do

Before you begin planning the security aspect of your e-business, have look at the Protecting section of this website which deals with security in detail.

As part of the planning process, you should develop a privacy policy to deal with company information and especially customer information, an email security policy and one that addresses the physical safety of your systems and information. The plans need to reflect the type of e-business you will be dealing in and the importance of security to your business.

Related topics: Protecting; Trusting the Internet

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