Risks around digital identity for companies
Digital identity is a strength for a company: it reflects a well-established brand image and a recognizable name.
But it is still necessary that this image is mastered. This immaterial identity can quickly turn into weakness and thus weaken what the organization has taken years to build.
Data theft,modification or alteration of documents, looting of sensitive information or trade secrets, manipulation or identity theft… The risks to the digitalization of a company’s identity are numerous and must be taken seriously.
Digital or digital identity
New words appear naturally over time and this is the case for terms related to Information and Communication Technologies.
These technologies are recent and date from our century, so the term “digital identity” has appeared in the French lexicon.
This term emerged with the appearance of social networks and the collaborative web. They shape an interaction specific to our time.
Digital identity is the link between a real entity (an individual) and a virtual entity (its digital representations). It is the whole of everything that relates to an individual on the Internet:
- Personal information
- His informational contributions
- His shared photos and videos…
Digital identity for your company
Consumers are influenced by the identity of a company and, with Web 2.0, this problem has become even stronger since your potential customers can have access to a large amount of information on the net.
It must be understood that the digital identity is an integral part of the general identity of the company, you can not dissociate them because the two influence each other.
Let’s go back to some figures in e-commerce to demonstrate the importance of mastering your digital identity:
- 80%of consumers inquire about a product and its company before making a purchase on the Internet
- 96%of consumers indicate that a company’s e-reputation has an influence on its act of purchase
- 93%of Internet users give up a purchase on the net after reading a negative review
- 95%of Internet users will finalize their purchase when they read a positive review
These figures say a lot about the potential of a good mastery of one’s identity on the web.
Risks related to the digital identity of professionals
The issues surrounding the company’s digital identity can no longer be ignored. We all leave traces on the web, individuals and professionals, small or large company.
We are all likely to receive or send sensitive documents.
Risks to the security of information systems continue to increase, putting both companies and their users at risk. The number of cyberattacks is exploding in Switzerland and around the world.
The major risks for companies are:
- The manipulation of information,with the dissemination of false information harming society.
- Theft of sensitive data
- The manipulation of the company’s identity, identity theft or misuse of the various aspects of the company’s visual charter.
What must be remembered is that the digital identity of a company must be based on a set of internal best practices and the use of secure and reliable tools.
This is how professionals will keep control of their identity on the web.