Dumb things companies do with user security

After iterating on a few ideas, you've found something people are interested in. Users are signing up! You've got traction! People with money want to give you that money! Excellent.

In the rush to rapid growth, it can be easy to get caught up in what's next, like the next new layout, feature launch or product release - the next thing that will make users happy.

Equally important to keep in mind - really, more important - is what makes users mad: getting hacked.

It's advice we've heard from just about every security expert who has ever been onstage at Disrupt: Take security seriously from the start. As soon as anyone cares about your company, it's a target, and the bigger you get, the bigger that target becomes. The more users you acquire, the more valuable your database becomes. Adding features and pushing code creates more things for hackers to poke at.

Last week, we took a look at some things you can do to help keep your employees from getting hacked. This week, we're looking at some of what you can do to keep your users safe. It's by no means exhaustive - but for growing teams, it's the sort of stuff you need to have in the back of your brain, always.