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It wasn’t a case of “Merry Christmas” for the employees of an Arkansas-based telemarketing firm after they were told to find new jobs just before Christmas 2019.

Sherwood-based The Heritage Company was hit a ransomware attack in October 2019, and – according to a letter sent to staff by the CEO – efforts to repair the damage had been unsuccessful for several weeks.   It would be easy to say that it wasn’t ransomware which brought about the apparent demise of The Heritage Company, but instead a lack of secure backups and a resilient disaster recovery plan.

A ransomware attack should never be enough to kill off your company. Sites, servers and other systems should be backed up regularly, offline and restored to check integrity.  How often determines how long you can manage with any technology and how much you are willing to spend on backup systems. 

Welcome to our latest blog section on website management. Today, we will be discussing three critical aspects of managing your Joomla! or WordPress website: security, updates, and monitoring. Every website requires regular attention, and neglecting them can lead to serious consequences. In this section, we will explore how these three elements can help you manage and safeguard your website effectively.

1. Security
Security is crucial when it comes to website management. Regardless of the type of site you run, you need to ensure that it is secure from hackers, malware, and other digital threats. There are numerous ways to improve your website security, such as using strong passwords, using secure hosting, installing an SSL certificate, and setting up a web application firewall. Wintercorn recommend Cloudflarefor both the speed and security improvements it adds - even with the free plan. We have used Cloudflare as a default option on all new builds and hosting as of 2020.

2. Updates
Regular updates are vital for website management. The web is always evolving, and your website must keep up with the changes. Outdated themes, plugins, and other software can pose security risks that could compromise your website's integrity. Regular updates will help ensure that your website's functionality and security remain intact. We update your site core files and extensions/plugins as required. There are many plugins we trust to update automatically but most are tested on our dev site and then those updates rolled out to client sites.

3. Monitoring
Monitoring your website traffic is crucial for website management. Regular monitoring can help you identify performance issues, detect security breaches, and optimize your website's functionality. There are various website monitoring tools available to help you track your website's traffic, such as Google Analytics, Pingdom, and Uptime Robot. We use Watchful which allows us real-time alerts for downtime, file changes and many other important issues.

In conclusion, effective website management requires the implementation of regular security checks, updates, and monitoring to safeguard your site's integrity, functionality, and performance. Neglecting any of these elements can leave you vulnerable to digital threats and undermine your online presence. Stay on top of your website management to ensure that your site remains secure, up-to-date, and optimized for better performance.

To effectively manage your Joomla! or WordPress website you need experts with the experience, knowledge and tools. You need Wintercorn.

Contact us today to discuss how we can help.