Data security should be a top priority in today’s business world. With companies around the world storing sensitive financial, employee and customer information, one breach would be enough to seriously damage any solid business. However, with a few good tips and some smart online habits, you can protect your business from unwelcome predators.
- Establish strong passwords.
The safest thing you can do for your company is to implement strong passwords. Follow this simple tip to create hard-to-crack passwords: use a combination of lowercase and capital letters, numbers and symbols, and make it 8-10 characters in length. Avoid any personal data (such as your birthdate), and avoid common words (even spelled backwords). All passwords should be changed every 90 days (or sooner for highly-sensitive data). - Set up strong firewall protection.
Firewalls are a must when discussing company-wide protection. They protect your network by controlling the internet traffic in –and out of – your business. Any major brand will be beneficial in protecting your network. - Install antivirus protection.
Like firewalls, antiviral and anti-malware protection is a necessity. Should an unwanted attack get through your network, the antiviral protection will identify and wipe out the virus or harmful agent. - Update your programs regularly.
Updating your computer and programs is a necessary step if you want to protect your business. Your software is only as good as its most recent update, so keeping each application updated will help keep your data safe. - Secure your electronic devices (computers, laptops and mobile phones).
Because of their portable nature, laptops and mobile phones present a much higher risk than the company desktop. Taking preventative measures before they are lost or stolen is key. Encrypt your laptop and mobile phone so that the data on the hard drive cannot be accessed without the proper password. Never leave your phone or laptop where it can be stolen or left. Lock it up when you are not using it to further protect your company’s information. - Backup your system regularly.
Schedule regular backups to your hard drive and information in the cloud. The general rule of thumb for backups are as follows:
– Servers: Complete backups weekly, partial backups nightly.
– Personal computers: Backup every week (incremental backups every few days) - Be careful with email, IM and web browsing.
You’ve seen it happen before. An unsuspecting employee clicks on a link or downloads an attachment that seems harmless, only to find out that their computer has been infected with a virus.Links and attachments are the number one ways malware ends up on computers; therefore, never click on a link that you were not expecting (or that you do not know the origin of). - Educate your employees.
Finally, teaching your employees about safe practices online and in the office are crucial to protecting your company’s data. Help employees become proactive with your company’s security and show them how what they are doing could lead to serious security breaches. Make sure your employees are aware of how important your company’s data is and ensure that they learn all the measures they can take to protect it.