4 Essential Tips For Business Owners Trying to Protect Sensitive Data

In a recent survey, nearly 50 percent of the business owners polled claimed they had been the victim of a data hack. When these hacks occur, it can send a business into a tailspin that they may have a hard time recovering from.

While most business owners know the importance of having an enterprise cloud backup for their data, they fail to realize how important protecting this data from hackers is. The last thing you want is for sensitive information like the Social Security number of clients to fall into the hands of cyber-criminals. With this information, these criminals can steal the identity of your customers.

Here are some of the things you can do to keep your sensitive data protected.

1. Work on Restricting Access to Sensitive Data

One of the main things you need to do when trying to keep sensitive data safe is to restrict access to it. Letting all employees have access to this information is a recipe for disaster. By restricting access to this information, you will be able to easily track down the source of a hack.

Keeping meticulous records of who has access to this information may be time-consuming, but it is worth the effort. Members of your management team and yourself are really the only people who need to have access to sensitive customer data.

2. Develop Strong Passwords for Network Access

The first line of defense when it comes to network security are passwords. You should require each of your employees to have a username and password combo to access the network. Requiring your team to change their password on a monthly basis is also a good idea.

Your main goal with passwords should be making them hard to crack. This is why requiring things like uppercase and lowercase letters, special characters and numbers in them is essential. The more complex the passwords are, the harder cyber-criminals will find it to crack them.

3. Having the Right Software in Place is a Must

Keeping hackers out of your network is only possible when using third-party security software. Using a program that features things like virus detection and spam filters is a must. With these tools, you can easily detect threats and address them in a hurry.

Once you have chosen a security software program, your main concern needs to be keeping it updated. If you fail to update this software, it will be unable to perform its intended purpose. For business owners who have a hard time remembering things like this, using a cloud-based program is a great idea. With a cloud-based software, updates will be automatic and more convenient.

4. Invest in Network Monitoring

While most business owners have the best intentions when it comes to keeping their data and network safe, many don’t have the time or resources to pull this off. The best way to find out about potential data security breaches ahead of time is by having a network monitored.

Hiring IT professionals to monitor a network will allow you to avoid being hacked and can help you address security issues before they develop. Before hiring a company to do this type of work, be sure to assess their level of experience. Rushing through this hiring process can lead to lots of mistakes being made.

Taking data security seriously can help you keep your business and your clients safe. As time goes by, you and your team will learn new and effective methods of data protection.