So, unfortunately for many shoppers and retailers, 2013 ended rather rough and early reports for 2014 are showing that the news of data breaches isn't going away. Newscasts are filled with stories of breaches at Target and Neiman Marcus, not to mention glitches at healthcare.gov. With all of these reports swirling in the news and the start of a New Year, perhaps now is the time to review security on your own website or within your internal systems.

One thing these breaches highlight is the clear need to work with qualified developers and programmers. It also highlights the importance of not rushing the launch of projects. Yes, breaches still happened to big companies utilizing developers. However, those companies have developers to assist them with fixing the situation or preventing new ones.

Many companies these days in an effort to save money are taking on the task of doing their own web development. They may be using boxed solutions, which are fine depending on your needs. However, a do-it-yourselfer might not be up to speed on current patches for existing systems or be implementing best practices. They also may not be using current versions of the software. The above mentioned leave your website prime for hacking and your customers at risk for being compromised.

It's a New Year, your company has a new budget and business plan. Does it include IT or programming spending? It should. When was the last time you had your website or systems checked by a professional for vulnerabilities, broken links, software updates or patches? Attempting to do your own IT or development may initially save you money, but in the long run could cost you thousands more in lost revenue, lost clients and more. Take the time to reach out to a developer or qualified IT professional to get your company off to a secure start in 2014.