While there was a time when it was possible to run a business without any digital resources at all, that’s now ancient history. These days, computers, data and internet capability are essential for any kind of business. While the modern accessibility to the internet has made it so much easier to start and maintain a successful business, it’s also opened companies up to a range of new risks. If you’re worried about your business’s important data being too exposed, here are some important tips for protecting it.
Limit Access
Once you’ve identified your company’s most important data and know where it’s all kept, it’s essential to start keeping tabs on who has access and making the appropriate limitations. No one in the organisation, even the IT administrator, should have complete, unlimited access to all your data with no kind of oversight or scrutiny. Make sure you’re keeping reliable records on who’s using your sensitive data, as well as how they’re using it. This way, if any of your files go missing or are compromised, there’ll be a paper trail you can use to find out who’s responsible. By keeping limits on data, you’ll also eliminate the risk of employees giving out information using personal devices or social media sites.
Use the Cloud
When cloud tech first started being adopted by businesses, it got a lot of negative press in the way of security. However, cloud security measures have been developed a lot since then, and when it’s combined with online backup services , this kind of storage can be a great way for businesses to secure their data. When you’re storing your important information off-site and through a robust provider agreement, you’ll not only reduce the chances of a cyber-attack, but also have convenient access to backup data in the event of a freak disaster.
Encrypt Anything Not on the Cloud
If you do choose to keep your data on-site, you need to make sure that it’s all encrypted. This will be one more barrier separating hackers and cyber-criminals from your important data. There are now many databases, security suites and applications on the market which come with great data encryption services. When you’re applying secure encryption to all of your important data as a rule, you’ll be able to rest easy, knowing that even if someone does manage to steal your data remotely, it will be much harder for them to compromise it.
Limit Downloads
Just as giving your employees unrestricted access to your sensitive data will pose some serious security risks, so will downloading files that are laced with spyware. However, if you impose strict limits on who’s allowed to download files, you’ll be able to reduce the chance of this massively. Obviously, it may not be practical to have an office full of computers which are incapable of downloading anything. However, you can still side-step the problem of spyware and other dangerous programs by encouraging a company culture of security and prevention. Make sure everyone is informed on the kinds of threats facing businesses like yours, the value of careful online conduct, and how spyware can affect everyone. Aside from that, it’s also a good idea to set a strict company policy against dangerous online behaviour , and firm reprimands for anyone who repeatedly puts the company’s data at risk.
Don’t Forget Their Phones!
Image source PixabayBYOD policies are becoming more and more common, especially among smaller start-ups. If you’re running something like this in your workplace, you need to make sure you’re conducting your BYOD policy in a safe and secure way. With employees keeping both personal and professional data on their smartphones and tablets, it’s more important than ever to make sure they’re combining this with sufficient mobile security measures. Obviously, you can’t make rules for what your employees do with their mobile devices outside of the workplace. However, you can keep things secure by applying a well-thought-out at-work policy. There are many options out there for keeping mobile devices secure. For small businesses though, the best are probably secure apps, and virtualization tech which splits the device into two separate, equally secure parts.
Keep Going
I know that setting up a whole array of security measures for your business can be a real source of headaches. Unfortunately, though, it isn’t something that you can do once and then forget about. Hackers are always looking for new ways around current security standards, and as a result security businesses are always updating their standards. Make sure you’re checking your data security regularly and keeping everything up to speed.
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