Experts predict this year will be another record year for a familiar, dangerous, and costly threat to retailers: cyberattacks. According to a report from Cybersecurity Ventures, cybercrime could cost its victims more than $8 trillion dollars worldwide and more than 90% of businesses are at risk. A Forbes study shows cybercriminals can hack 93% of company networks.

One key reason for this is more businesses and organizations are connected to more devices and exposed to more devices via the Internet, according to the Internet of Things (ioT). More organizations are also investing more money in security. So, the main cause of attacks, according to experts at the Thought Lab, is likely "misconfigurations, human error and poor maintenance."

Patrick Hodo is CIO of Texas-based software company Red Maple. He says the best option for protecting your company is by moving everything to the cloud. Hodo says this is a simple and cost-effective way to protect your data if you fall victim to a cyber-attack.

"Another strategy I also recommend to retailers and beyond is to get out of the data storage business. Stop collecting and storing sensitive data – such as credit card numbers - on your website. This simple step is key to mitigating attacks," adds Hodo.

Hodo and his team at Red Maple developed an innovative and patented solution called Clever Division™ software. When using this system, retailers no longer have to collect the entire credit card number. So, if a hacker breaks in, there is nothing valuable to steal because this data is NOT stored online.

Clever Division is the one of the most secure PCI platforms available today. Here's how it works, customers place their order and only enter a portion part of their credit card number.

The software sends the customer a two-factor authentication link where they can enter the rest of the credit card number via phone, text, or email. Clever Division's system then divides and scrambles the credit card data, locks it up in separate vaults, and send the business an encrypted token from their processor to verify the sale.

While using the cloud and NOT storing valuable date are two key tips to protect your valuable information from cyber criminals, there are a few other basic tools to protect your website from attacks. The Federal Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency offers these tips.

Install an SSL certificate. SSL, also known as Secure Sockets Layer. This protocol creates an encrypted link between a web server and a web browser. Update your website on a regular basis. Use strong passwords and encourage your team to do the same. Back up your site often. Train your staff about the importance of these steps.