Any business selling goods or services to consumers has to direct some of their planning and budget to security. With more and more ways to get at important data coming to light today, safety is becoming a growing concern for company owners or managers. Depending on the kind of breach involved, here are just a few of the ways you might address some of these issues.
Enforce Password Policies
Passwords may seem like simple electronic locks. Like any lock, making passwords complex makes them tougher to break. However, no lock is effective if employees aren’t using it properly. Make sure your company has clear, concise instructions on passwords that employees know inside and out. Don’t forget to use these same policies for passwords on any wireless personal devices that may send and receive company info.
Manage Your IT Professionally
Unless your company specializes in something related to computer operations, your employees might not be familiar with all of the things that go into the technical side of IT. This knowledge can include how to protect sensitive data. While you could train your own team, hiring managed IT services is a cost-effective means of getting the support you need in a fraction of the time. In many cases, this can have the added benefit of an extra layer of security and troubleshooting even when your own systems are down.
Go Digital
Much of what your company does probably exists online or in a computer network. However, paper is still a standard for documenting important information. Physical documents have their place, but unless you use a powerful shredder on a regular basis, they also pose a risk. Ensure that your data is stored only digital and on a company local area network as much as possible.
Be Strict Regarding Violations
It’s never fun to be that person, but policy violations that endanger the security of your company, its info, and your customers can’t be taken lightly. It isn’t just a matter of enforcing rules. Your staff must understand how serious a data breach could be and how it might affect everyone. It will be much easier to enforce good security policies if everyone is aware of the personal and professional consequences of laxity.
Having a comprehensive security plan for your business takes a bit of time and effort. However, the peace of mind it can bring could be invaluable to you. Even if you think you may not need it to deal with every potential threat on this list, just having a shield in place could mean the difference between a minor inconvenience and a catastrophe. Don’t forget critical system updates that may feature new developments that can further protect company data.
