At present, the world greatly depends on digital means to ensure speed and efficiency in various business processes. Security and confidentiality are major concerns when utilizing various digital outsourced solutions. These are concerns also when using various online services such as financial services. So many processes are done online – paying bills, shopping, chatting, and engaging in social media activities. This makes you highly vulnerable because in some of these activities, you are transmitting your bank account or credit card information over the internet. This is why securing your financial transactions and personal information is of vital importance. There are numerous apps, both paid and free, to help track and manage your finances. You need to understand the technology options and choose a tool that maximizes security and minimizes risk.
To ensure that the online financial tool you choose has reliable privacy and security features, make sure that it meets certain important conditions. So what are these conditions?
- SSL (Security Sockets Layer) certified websites: An SSL website establishes an encrypted link between the web server and your browser so that all data is securely transferred. Such sites are safe and secure over unsecured Wi-Fi connections.
- The technology provider should provide you virtual private access. This means that once you set a password, they do not have any access to your personal data. The system can be accessed only by you or by those to whom you may have assigned user rights.
- It is best not to choose free tools available online because such providers may access your data with or without your knowledge, mainly for their marketing purposes.
- The chosen software should provide data storage on a private cloud server as it is more secure than a shared database. Storing multiple client data in the same database compromises security and there are higher chances of data breach and malware infection.
- The tool should allow you to make virtual copies of your physical documents. The virtual document storage should be secure as well. It should allow documents to be linked to transactions, which makes it easier to trace any data/document when required.
- A pure asset management tool should separate tracking/monitoring from transactions. Asset management tools are intended for data consolidation, reporting and analytics. They separate transacting from monitoring and do not try to increase revenue through advisory and transaction commissions. Users will not be allowed to transfer money, and direct trading of financial assets is not allowed.
- Two-factor authenticated log-in is another security feature to look for. Besides entering your credentials, you will be required to enter a one-time code sent to your phone. This is one of the most effective ways to ensure your online accounts or your email inbox are not accessed by unauthorized entities.
Make sure that you don’t disable any of the security features provided. In case you are managing your financial transactions on your mobile, use the official mobile application of your bank. For this, contact your bank or access their official website.
When performing financial operations online, log out when you are done. Don’t just close the browser. To prevent authentication credentials or cookies from being stored on your computer, private browsing sessions are ideal.
