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Ensuring Your Website's Security: Key Points

Securing your website is a critical task that directly impacts not only the protection of company data but also the safety of user information. Here are several key aspects to consider:

1. Use of HTTPS. 

SSL/TLS Certificate: Ensure you're using a secure connection via HTTPS. This not only enhances data transfer security between the server and clients but also improves your site's search engine ranking.

2. Software Updates

Content Management System (CMS) and Plugins: Regularly update your CMS (like WordPress, Joomla, Drupal) and installed plugins to the latest versions. Outdated software may contain vulnerabilities exploitable by attackers.

3. Protection Against Hacking

Firewall: Use a web application firewall (WAF) to protect your site from known threats and hacks.

Malware Scans: Regularly scan your site for malicious software and vulnerabilities.

4. Access Management

Strong Passwords and Two-Factor Authentication: Encourage users to use complex passwords and enable two-factor authentication for access to the admin panel.

Login Attempts Limitation: Implement limits on login attempts to prevent brute force attacks.

5. Backup

Regular Backups: Ensure regular backups of the database are made. This allows for data restoration in case of an attack or technical failure.

6. Monitoring and Response

Monitoring Systems: Use tools and services for security monitoring that can promptly notify you of any suspicious activities.

Incident Response Plan: Develop and have a ready incident response plan to quickly and effectively eliminate threats and restore operations.

7. Employee Training

Conduct regular training for employees on cybersecurity basics and best security practices.

Additional Measures:

Data Minimization: Aim to store the minimal necessary amount of users' personal data on the site to reduce risks in case of potential data breaches.

Data Encryption: Use encryption to protect critical data such as passwords and personal information of users. This helps prevent data access even if intercepted.>

Compliance with Legislation: Ensure your site complies with local and international data protection laws, like the GDPR in the European Union.

Working with Professionals: If necessary, consult with professional security consultants for conducting audits and implementing additional security measures.

Ensuring security is a comprehensive task that requires attention to detail and foresight. Remember, protecting information on your site not only guards your business against potential financial losses and legal issues but also maintains your reputation as a reliable partner and service provider.

How to create a website using a neural network?

Artificial intelligence (AI) and neural networks are some of the most in-demand technological trends in our era. One of the newest and most promising methods of web development is the use of neural networks to create websites.

What is a neural network?

A neural network is an algorithm that 'learns' from certain data, allowing the software to make its own decisions based on this experience. It opens up new possibilities in design by allowing it to automatically adapt to specific users.

Creating a website design using a neural network

The process begins by training the algorithm on a large amount of data, such as traffic analytics, user actions on the resource, user preferences and interests. The neural network uses this information to determine which elements of the site are most effective in order to improve the user experience.

Based on this information, the AI is able to create a design that best meets the needs of a particular user. This process is automated and saves considerable time.

Tools for building a website using a neural network

There are specific tools and libraries that provide a wide range of options for customising a website to suit a client's specific needs and desires. Here are some of them:

1. TensorFlow.js is a JavaScript machine learning library
2. Brain.js - neural network library in JavaScript
3. Synaptic.js - another neural network library in JavaScript
4. PyTorch - library for machine learning in Python
5. Keras - high-level machine learning library in Python.

Benefits of using a neural network to build a website

AI is able to develop platforms that take many factors into account, such as user behaviour, the competitive landscape and more. Below we list the main benefits of using a neural network:

• Higher accuracy in identifying user needs and adapting the resource to those needs;
• Reduced time and effort for design development;
• Automated website optimization for different types of devices and browsers;
• Increased website efficiency through improved fine-tuning and optimisation of website elements;
• Improved user experience, which can increase conversion rates and sales.

Disadvantages of using neural networks to create a website

While there are some advantages to using neural networks to build websites, such as speeding up the website creation process and reducing development costs, neural networks have not yet reached a level of development that can completely replace the development team.

There are also other disadvantages to using neural networks to build a website, such as:

1. Sometimes neural networks can produce unpredictable results, which can result in the site not looking the way it was intended.
2. Neural networks can be limited in what they can create. They can't create things like website content, their ability can only be limited to creating the design.
3. Setting up neural networks can be a complex task and requires considerable knowledge of machine learning and programming.
4. Training neural networks can be a costly process, requiring large amounts of computational resources and specialised knowledge.
5. Even if a neural network was able to create a website, it will need to be constantly maintained and updated. This requires an experienced development team, which can be expensive and complicated.

In general, using neural networks to create websites can be useful, but has its limitations and requires serious consideration. Therefore, the use of neural networks should be seen as an additional tool, but not the only one for website development. Finally, using neural networks to build a website may not be suitable for all types of websites, for example websites that use many interactive elements.

How to choose a company to create a website: tips for choosing a reliable contractor

Modern business cannot function without an online presence. A website is your calling card in the online world, increasing the visibility and accessibility of your business to potential customers and partners.

Creating a website for a business allows you to:

• Expand your audience: the internet allows you to reach a wider audience than a limited regional market.
• Improve accessibility: your website is accessible 24/7, allowing customers and partners to get information about your business at any time.
• Improve impression: a well-designed website improves the impression of your company, increasing the credibility of your business.
• Reputation management: Having your own website allows you to control the information you publish about your business and respond to negative comments and reviews.
• Sales and lead generation: your website can be a source of sales and lead generation for your business.

You have already realised that creating a website is an important step for any business or individual project. It helps to attract new customers and gives you the opportunity to present your company or product online. But how do you choose a reliable company to create a website? In this article, we'll give you some tips for choosing a trustworthy contractor.

The first and most important factor is the company's experience in creating websites. You need to look at the company's portfolio and familiarize yourself with the projects it has implemented. This will help you understand what level of service you can expect from the company and how suitable they are for your project.

The second factor is communication with the company. You need to understand that creating a website is not an easy process and requires a lot of interaction between the customer and the company. Therefore, it is important to choose a company with which you can communicate freely and which is willing to be in touch at all times.

The third factor is the price. The cost of creating the site may vary depending on the company and its experience, as well as the complexity and functionality of the project. But you should not choose a company only on the basis of price, because often a low price may mean a low quality of work. It is important to find a balance between price and quality of work.

The fourth factor is maintenance. Once a website has been created, it needs to be updated and maintained at all times so that it continues to work correctly and meet modern standards. Therefore, it is important to choose a company that provides support and maintenance after the website has been created.

The fifth factor is mobile adaptability. Today, most people use mobile devices to browse websites, so it is important that your website is adapted for mobile devices and displays correctly on them. Check whether the company you choose offers mobile adaptation and can create a website that will display perfectly on all devices.

In conclusion. Choosing a company to build a website is an important step and should be done with care. To find a reliable contractor to build a website that will meet your requirements and help you achieve your business goals, look at the company's experience, communication, support and mobile adaptation. Don't be afraid to ask questions and ask for examples of her previous websites to present her skills and experience. After all this, you will be able to make an informed decision and choose the company that will help you create your dream website.

We remind you that you can always get a free consultation from our experts about developing your website. All you need to do is send an application on the home page.

How can a business in Moldova launch international sales through an online shop? Step-by-step instructions

The Internet is the best way for businesses to enter international markets. Unlike other methods of expansion into foreign markets, it is not necessary to register a legal entity abroad, set up a foreign office, and plan logistics routes and storage space. Here, it is enough to adapt the online shop to foreign customers, and ensure that the order is delivered.

Whereas in the former case, to enter sales in other countries you actually have to launch a new business in an unfamiliar jurisdiction. In the case of e-commerce, starting sales is much easier, more convenient and more cost-effective.

In this article we would like to discuss how a Moldovan company can start international online sales, where to start and what to pay special attention to.

Why can we be trusted?

At the beginning, just a few words about who we are and why we're sure we're talking about online business. We are the Meta Group, and our main speciality is launching turnkey IT startups. We have experience and real cases in different sectors and segments of online business. We've run turnkey projects in France, Switzerland, Germany and many other countries.

We can share with you not only the experience of online start-ups, but also the experience of working in foreign markets. If you have a startup idea, you can consult our experts on how we can help with it. To get a free consultation, you need to leave an application on the homepage.

The minute of self-promotion is over, now let's get to the main topic: Step-by-step instructions on how to start international sales for a company from Moldova.

Step 1: Planning. Defining the sales geography

Any project should always start with detailed planning. This greatly increases the chances of success. When it comes to international sales, the first question to discuss is: In which countries are the sales planned?

All further work on the project depends on the answer.

Legislation

Some countries require the registration of a subsidiary legal entity for domestic sales. Different states have different consumer protection laws and different time limits on returns. Also, your goods may be banned from sale in some countries, or have a legal regulation. This is not necessarily a ban or restriction, nor is it necessarily a bad thing. It may be that in other countries your goods are classified as 'essentials' and cannot be priced above a fixed mark-up.

Of course, before launching, you need to work out the laws of all the countries in which you plan to sell. But there is a way to quickly weed out those jurisdictions that are definitely not suitable.

Aggregated information on bans and legal restrictions on international sales can be found on the websites of global marketplaces such as Amazon and Ebay. The documentation section for sellers describes these restrictions in a very detailed and structured way.

A useful tip: in international online sales, the cost of adding additional countries is relatively low. If the delivery service and payment system (to be discussed later) allow you to accept payment and deliver goods to additional countries that you initially did not count on, it is foolish to turn down this opportunity. So don't limit yourself to the geography of your sales.

Step 2: Choosing a logistics system

In fact, a well-developed international logistics system with warehouses and distribution centres abroad is needed either for large companies with high turnover abroad or for marketplaces that trade in other people's goods and need to ensure fast delivery to the countries of sale.

In all other cases, developing your own logistics system abroad is a very expensive and unprofitable idea. We are writing this article for ordinary companies from Moldova, who hardly have the capital to implement an international logistics network right now, so we consider more modest methods.

The easiest way is to use international delivery services. These can be commercial organisations such as DHL, DPD and others, or even the regular government post office.

The choice is not so obvious, Posta Moldovei has lower tariffs but longer delivery times, the commercial services have the opposite. The best strategy when going international is to diversify delivery methods. Both private and public delivery services can be used at the same time. The buyer can then choose which suits him best:

• Quick but expensive delivery.
• Or cheap, but slow.

When customers have a choice, they are less likely to refuse an order due to unsuitable conditions. Please note that logistics services do not have a flat rate for delivery. The cost depends on the sending and receiving countries, the size of the goods and other variables. Moreover, rates for different categories are subject to revision. In the case of a small product range, it is possible to constantly monitor the logistics rates and change them manually on the website, but it is much more convenient to do automatic data exchange and automatic calculation of delivery costs.

With this approach, the logistics service tariffs are automatically uploaded to the website and periodically updated. The site, with a tariff grid, can automatically calculate the cost of delivery according to the parameters set by customers.

3. Receiving payment

In fact, the solution to this issue is much easier than it appears at first glance. International payment systems that operate simultaneously in many countries can be used to accept payments abroad.

The most popular example is PayPal, but it has quite a few alternatives: Stripe, Payoneer, Payline, TransferWise and many others. These companies provide bank payment processing in a large number of countries and allow you to accept payments in different currencies.

When choosing between payment systems, the following criteria should be taken into account:

• The amount of fees. The higher they are, the higher your payment service costs. A difference of 0.5% to 1% may seem insignificant, but remember that we are talking about a large volume of sales. In that case, the size of the commission will play an important role.
• The number of countries in which the service operates. The more there are, the higher the number of people who will be able to pay online for your products. As we said above, the greater the number of these countries available at no extra cost, the better.
• The number of payment methods available. Some payment operators are limited to Visa and Mastercard only, while others have a wide range of payment methods available, including e.g. Internet wallets. Of course, for the lion's share of users paying via Visa/Mastercard will be sufficient, but for some, having alternatives will be an advantage.
• Hold and chargeback conditions. It is the payment service, not you, in another country who will respond to requests for returns and chargebacks. Naturally, the payment system will insure itself by freezing some of your income for as long as the buyer can request a refund.

There is also an alternative method of accepting payment on international sales. For example, goods can be sold on international marketplaces. In this case both payment acceptance and delivery will be taken care of by the marketplace. However, the size of the marketplace fees may make such sales unprofitable.

4 Adapting the website for international sales

The foreign user must be comfortable using the website:

• First, the language. At a minimum, the website should be translated into English in its entirety, including all product cards. If the sales geography is small, or there are individual countries with a large share of total sales, it makes sense to translate the website into a few more major languages.
• Secondly, the currency. The user should be able to change the main currency of the account to the one that is convenient for him/her. In this case, all prices on the website, including the cost of delivery or other services, should be converted to that currency at the current exchange rate of the payment system. It only makes sense to add currencies that are accepted by the acquiring company.
• Thirdly, other little things. For example, units of measurement. Not all users are comfortable with the decimal number system. If you are planning sales in the UK or the US, everyone there uses other units of measurement they are accustomed to. This also includes size grids for clothing. They are not the same everywhere, so a product description should always include a sizing grid and a comparison with other standards.

Alternatively, several different versions of the site could be made, each adapted to a specific country or region. This will automatically redirect the user to the correct version, depending on the geolocation from which they are logging in.

More detailed recommendations for launching online sales from Moldova can only be given after studying the specific project. Let us remind you that if you are planning to launch online sales abroad, you can get a free consultation from our experts. All you need to do is submit an application on the home page of our website.

Metawebart has been selected among the Top Eastern European Software Development Companies by DesignRush