As more of your campaign’s critical functions move online, the imperative to follow cybersecurity best practices also grows. Campaigns continue to be targets for bad actors, both domestic and foreign, because of the increased spending on campaigns and the opportunity to interfere in U.S. elections.
Thanks to a unique allowance made possible by the Federal Elections Commission (FEC), federal candidates are eligible to receive free digital security software and services through Defending Digital Campaigns (DDC). While these tools will make your campaign more secure, they also provide additional benefits that improve the quality of your digital campaign.
Here’s a look at how four cybersecurity tools also boost your campaign.
Get More Conversions And Rank Higher on Google
Cloudflare protects your website from common cyber attacks that overwhelm your servers with bogus traffic. If you’ve ever worried about your campaign website going down due to high traffic, then Cloudflare is the solution.
The technology Cloudflare uses to secure your site also means your website will load faster. Search engines like Google take page speed into account when determining how to rank a site in search results.
Research also shows that the faster your website loads, the higher your conversion rate. And Cloudflare can also save you money on your web hosting bill.
Even if cybersecurity wasn’t a concern for your campaign, using Cloudflare is a must-have for effective digital campaigns.
Learn more about Cloudflare for Campaigns here.
Keep Files Up To Date And Synchronized
Campaigns run on Microsoft Excel and Word. But it’s hard to keep up with different versions and ensure everyone is working off of the correct data. Through Defending Digital Campaigns, campaigns can get Microsoft 365 for just $5 per user per month.
That means everyone on your team will have access to the entire Office suite with the most up to date versions. You’ll also be able to use One Drive to securely share and collaborate on files. From a management perspective, you’ll be able to control who has access, who made revisions, and know when new data is available.
Learn more about Microsoft 365 for Campaigns here.
Control Password Access
Every campaign has shared online accounts and that means sharing passwords. But storing those passwords in spreadsheets or sending them over email makes them easy prey for hackers. You also lose control over who has access to your accounts.
A password manager, like LastPass, helps you create and store strong, secure passwords for every account. With a free LastPass Teams account, you’ll also be able to safely share passwords with everyone on your team. There’s even the option not to let someone see a password. This means you can shut off access at a moment’s notice.
Streamline Internal Communication
Emails, texts, Facebook Messenger, Signal, Slack, etc. The list goes on and on of the ways your campaign team communicates with each other. For maximum security, you want to be using end-to-end encryption, which some of these platforms offer. But if you want to control who has access, how long messages and files are stored, and how secure the login, you need Wickr.
With DDC, campaigns get access to Wickr Pro Advanced with Platinum security features for just $5 per user per month. This comes with text messaging (individuals and groups), voice and video calling, and secure file sharing.
Conclusion
These are tools that I regularly recommend to campaigns and if you’re able to get them for free, it’s a no-brainer. There’s no doubt that campaigns of all sizes are targets for cyber attacks like phishing, spoofing, and ransomware, but given the lean, scrappy nature of campaigns, it’s no surprise that cybersecurity can often take a backseat.
Thanks to the free tools provided by Defending Digital Campaigns, you’ll secure your campaign while also improving its effectiveness.
This post was sponsored by Defending Digital Campaigns. Their support helps keep Best Practice Digital free for our readers.
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