How To Keep Your Business Data Protected

Hackers, malware, cybersecurity threats, and natural disasters resulting in business data losses can cause significant disruptions to organizations’ day-to-day functioning regardless of their size. If your company does not have appropriate security measures and policies in place, you could leave yourself open to significant business downtime. If that happens, you may lose financially and also face the irreplaceable loss of sensitive company data. Here are a few practical tips to follow to keep your business data secure.1) Implement an IT security policy:Organizations of all sizes need to implement a detailed IT security policy. It should lay out the steps to protect business resources and data. The policy should cover what to do if your company faces a cybersecurity attack. Keep the policy updated at all times and hold regular staff training and internal audits to ensure that your business is protected.2) Enforce strong wireless network securityWireless networks are a frequent target for hackers who can easily bypass encryption keys. It is vital to protect your wireless routers using the most robust encryption settings. You should also turn off the router's broadcast function. Doing so helps your network become invisible to hackers. After all, hackers cannot hack something they cannot see and access!3) Update operating systems, anti-virus, and anti-malware software regularlyUpdating your software is essential to protect your organization from hackers accessing your business information and data through software vulnerabilities in browsers and operating systems. It’s easy to skip software updates if you are busy with something else when you get the update notification. However, doing so can expose your company data to cyber breaches and data losses. Ensure that your IT support department has a methodology to ensure the implementation of all software updates promptly.4) Use secure file sharing solutions to store data onlineInstead of using consumer-facing online storage solutions like Google Drive, Dropbox, and One Drive, it is a better idea for organizations to use online file sharing solutions. For example, the Triofox remote file server helps you maintain high security and data privacy levels by extending your existing on-premise file servers' security safeguards and permission controls. Your file server becomes the central point of remote access and collaboration for all your remote workers. What's more, you can centrally manage file versioning, access control, reporting, and auditing conveniently.5) Use strong passwordsComplex passwords provide much better security than simple ones. Ensure that all passwords comprise of, at a minimum, eight characters. They should be a combination of random letters, digits, and special characters. If you do so, guessing the passwords will be difficult for hackers and other cybercriminals. Change passwords frequently, which may be a hassle but will end up providing you more protection. Consider using a password manager across your organization to help automate the task of remembering and changing passwords.6) Have a well-defined data backup and restore policy.A fundamental way of protecting your business data is to have a robust data backup and restore policy. As many as 68% of small businesses don’t have a disaster recovery plan. If you are one of them, you are opening yourself to the risk of business losses if a disaster strikes. You should have a well-defined data backup and restore policy in place. The policy should cover data backup frequency. Ideally, backups should be taken daily. It should mention the persons to contact if data is lost. The policy should also cover the steps to follow to restore lost data.In summaryIt is vital to take appropriate steps to keep your business data protected. The tips shared in this article will help you take some essential steps in doing so.