How To Protect Your Business From A Data Breach
As a business, you handle a lot of internal and client data on your daily operations. Imagine the implications of losing this data to hackers who can exploit it for malicious purposes. This could severely damage your reputation, leading to the loss of clients and potentially expensive lawsuits that drain your finances.Here’s a guide to assist you:
1. Outsource IT Services
The Information Technology (IT) department plays a critical role in addressing data breaches, as it oversees company systems and technology through which such breaches occur. One effective strategy to prevent data breaches is to outsource your IT department, or a portion of it, to a specialized third-party provider.
Why is this beneficial?
An outsourced IT team possesses the required expertise and experience to safeguard your business from data breaches. Drawing from their extensive knowledge, they can efficiently address your needs and enhance the overall security of your business. Selecting the right managed IT service provider, such as Exigent in New Jersey, is crucial. A reliable provider will
have the necessary credentials, a solid reputation, sufficient resources, and ample experience to ensure your data remains secure.
2. Train Your Team
Data breaches often result from carelessness and errors when handling business data. Your workers handle a lot of business data, so training them should be part of your data breach prevention campaign.
Start by informing them about cybercrime and cyber security at large. It’ll give them an idea of what they’re trying to prevent. Also, inform them of the consequences of cybercrime, like data breaches, and how it’ll affect their work.
All this information will make them more receptive to your ideas on data breach prevention.
It’d help to have an expert in cyber security services from Attentus train them in cybersecurity. These experts are gurus in the field and will guide your team from the point of know-how and experience.
3. Limit Access
The data in your business differs in terms of sensitivity. There’s general data that causes no harm and there’s sensitive data that can cause havoc in the wrong hands.
The ideal way of preventing data breaches is controlling access to data. Who can see what and for what period? The fewer people with access, the smaller the vulnerability; the reverse applies.
It’s good practice to limit those with access to sensitive data to one or two people. Doing so prevents the possibilities of breaches and gives room for accountability in case of a breach.
On the less sensitive data, also limit access. Have anyone that requires the data seek permission
and write a report on the use of the data in fulfilling their responsibilities. Consider limiting the timeframe to at least an hour maximum.
4. Encourage The Use Of Strong Passwords
Passwords prevent unauthorized parties from bypassing systems, files, and folders. How effective are passwords in preventing data breaches?
It all depends on their strength. Unlike strong passwords, unauthorized users can easily guess weak passwords and access your data. Therefore, have your workers use strong passwords.
A strong password should have many characters, which include upper- and lower-case letters, numbers, and even signs. It should also not have any association with the computer’s user, for example, a dog’s or partner’s name.
Regarding passwords, discourage your workers from writing down their passwords and placing them under the keyboards or other areas. It reduces the effectiveness of your approach. Anyone can find such data and log into the systems to get the data they want.
5. Invest In The Right Technology
Technology is ever-evolving, with each new one solving an issue people face in different industries. In the IT world, there are various innovations you should adopt to help with data breaches. Here are a few of these tools:
Antivirus – this software scans your computer systems and networks in search of viruses.
Hackers introduce viruses that corrupt files and systems, giving them access to your data. With the identification, it’ll fight them and alert you of the same.Firewall - This tool acts as a wall against hackers, rendering them unable to cross and access your data.
VPN - A VPN (Virtual Private Network) is handy if you have remote workers. Some use private wi-fi, with others using public wi-fi to fulfill their responsibilities. Public wi-fi isn't secure, and there’s a possibility of hackers hacking the wi-fi and getting information from the devices of those utilizing the wi-fi.
It’d help to invest in any available technology to protect your business data.
Conclusion
Protecting your business from a data breach is quite achievable. The discussion above has given simple but effective ways to achieve this.
