[BreachExchange] 7 Ways to Keep Your Business Data Extra Secure

[Destry Winant]

https://www.musttechnews.com/7-ways-to-keep-your-business-data-extra-secure/

On average, hacker attacks occur every 39 seconds.

And that’s not all, another study showed that by the end of this year, the
cost of cybercrime to businesses will exceed $2 trillion.

So, is your business data protected against cyber-attacks?

The costs of a cyber-attack to your business can be quite severe. Besides
the huge financial losses, your daily operational schedule can be affected.
Your customers may also lose trust in your business.

Fortunately, there are several effective ways of keeping your business data
secure from hacking. Here are some tips.

1. Keep Only What You Need

Employee information and customers’ data are essential for a range of
business processes. But, some types of data are more important than others.

As such, it’s crucial to assess your business goals and processes to ensure
you store only what’s necessary. This is because the more data you collect,
the higher the level of security you’ll need.

If you need particular data for temporary use, get rid of it as soon as it
has accomplished its intended purpose.

2. Conduct Regular Data Risk Assessments

Regular assessments of your data security will help you stay ahead of any
vulnerabilities in your data system. The output you get from your data risk
analysis will be helpful in making the necessary improvements in your data
security system.

Besides your business data, you can also conduct a risk assessment of the
software systems used in your business. For a thorough assessment,
outsource this task to a company that specializes in white hat hacking.
CAST Highlight, for instance, uses software intelligence to track various
hidden risks in your business’ open source and custom software.

Regular assessments will also ensure that your business data management
system is compliant with any new state and federal cyber laws.

3. Train Your Staff on Data Security

Human error is one of the major contributors to data breaches. This is
probably due to the fact that most of the staff members in businesses lack
a proper understanding of cybersecurity. Your IT team shouldn’t be the only
department knowledgeable about proper cybersecurity practices.

Train and educate all your employees on how to keep your business data
safe. You can train them on a range of aspects including acceptable online
practices when using company devices, tips on how to create solid
passwords, and how to identify phishing emails and fraudulent sites.

This training will also empower your workforce. If your employees know what
phishing emails look like, they’ll send it straight to the trash bin. This
confidence is key! This also means that they’ll be less likely waste time
debating their actions or inquiring from the IT team.

4. Keep Track of the Business Data You Store

Keeping an inventory of all your data can also help prevent cyber-attacks.

The ideal business data inventory should include the type of information
you’re storing, the location of the data, and a list of everyone in your
business who can access it.

This way, you’ll be able to monitor sensitive data more efficiently. For
instance, you can limit the access of your data to a few key people within
your organization.

5. Update Your Data Systems

Cybersecurity measures change quite fast. Thus, it’s imperative to stay
up-to-date with those improvements to protect your data from any form of
cyber-attacks.

Besides being up-to-date with the latest technology news, you can hire a
cybersecurity consultancy firm. Also, ensure that your IT team attends
cybersecurity conferences and workshops. This will help them learn the
latest developments in business data protection.

6. Consider Cloud Computing

Many business owners aren’t open to the idea of hosting crucial business
data off-site. This is because of the general assumption that it would
compromise their data security. But significant improvements in cloud
computing have led to better security measures.

Today, cloud computing providers offer built-in data security tools and
features.

And since solely depending on passwords isn’t effective, go for cloud
computing solutions with advanced authentication options. For instance, to
improve account security, information from different sources can be
collected to create profiles that are unique to your individual security
needs.

Regional restrictions, also referred to as global threat intelligence, is
another cloud computing security tool that can enhance your database
security. Some regions across the world are popular for harboring
cyber-attackers. With the global threat intelligence tool, users in such
parts of the world will be blocked from accessing your cloud data.

Additionally, cloud computing and storage comes with protection against
Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks. These attacks are
characterized by malicious attempts by hackers to disrupt the normal flow
of traffic to the cloud server. Cloud computing security solutions will
counter such disruptions, ensuring your data remains safe in the cloud
storage.

Most cloud computing providers also offer continuous support and data
monitoring to ensure your data is safe 24/7. Cloud computing works under
regulatory compliances on data security.

7. Establish Internal Controls for Data Protection

Employee fraud and negligence is another major cause of business data
breach.

To ensure this doesn’t happen, set up internal controls to limit your
employees’ access to certain types of critical data. You can use systems
that will log every piece of information that your employees access to
track their activities.

Also, make sure that an employee has access to the information that he/she
only needs. Don’t trust an employee with all your business data and secrets!

Learn More About How to Secure Your Business Data

Loss or compromise of crucial business data can have significant
implications for your business. Thus, you need to stay updated about the
latest cyber threats and security measures in your industry.
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