Four Steps to Protecting Your Business from a Data Breach

Four Steps to Protecting Your Business from a Data Breach

For companies with vital customer information or intellectual property protecting this vital data from accidental loss or data breach is a top concern. This information is the backbone of your business and any mishaps would certainly result in lost income and lost customers.

Unfortunately, incidents of data breach are at an all-time high these days, with a range of causes that business owners must be aware of and prepared for.

•   Accidental Insider: 88% of data breach incidents result from simple negligence. With the amount of information available these days, and the multitude of vehicles for managing it – smart phones, lap tops, USB flash drives, etc. – vital information winds up lost or on unprotected servers easily and often. Competent, hard-working and well-meaning employees can easily leave crucial information susceptible to attack.

•   Malicious Insider: Studies have shown that around 59% of disgruntled former employees steal confidential company information. In today’s tight economy, high stress and increased numbers of layoffs result in an increased number of vindictive ex employees making off with vital information to get back at their employers.

•   Criminal Intent: The rate of cyber-criminals releasing trojans horses, viruses and worms aimed at stealing personal information is growing exponentially year by year. Most of these attacks are focused on identity theft, but they threaten to cripple your businesses computer systems, jeopardize your customers’ safety and hinder your company-customer relationships. The scariest part is that most cyber-criminals are well funded by foreign government agencies.

4 Steps to Preventing Data Breaches

Even though data breaches can occur in a number of ways attacks are still preventable. Follow these four steps to increase your businesses protection against data breaches.

1.   Protect Your Infrastructure – Create a security system that allows you to look into your network so you can spot and manage possible threats easily. Protect all your endpoints like Emails, fax machines and Internet access points, and make sure to include your internal servers, as well. Data backup is crucial to securing your business information. Online backup is a secure, off-site backup option that relies on an outside company to store your information and facilitate the backup process for your company. Many of these companies reside in Dallas, Houston and Silicon Valley, California. Most importantly, have a disaster recovery plan in place.

2.   Enforce Stringent IT Strategies – Consider your IT department like your army or National Guard. They have to be disciplined and to spot and manage threats without incident. Strict schedules and strategies will keep your system up to date and resistant to attacks. Make sure your IT employees know their daily, weekly and monthly responsibilities and that they accomplish these tasks promptly.

3.   Automate Systems – Human error puts your information and your business at risk. Crucial tasks like scans, anti virus protection updates and downloads, and backups can all be automated. Your system can be set to accomplish these tasks on a daily or weekly basis to mitigate the risk of your IT employees forgetting to do so. This will also free up your employees’ time to manage and monitor the system, and handle other responsibilities.

4.   Follow Your Information – One of the most important ways to prevent data breaches is simply to know where your information is stored, where it goes, how it gets there and who has access to it. Make sure your lines of communication are secure and that the people you trust with your information are trust worthy. Before dismissing an employee, take steps to assure yourself that they can’t hurt your company by taking information with them. Only give employees access to the information that they need to have access to. By limiting access you reduce the risk of a data breach.

In today’s technology driven and internet-centric world you can never be too careful with your sensitive information. The great advantages that the Internet offers can also be hindrances to privacy and security. Create, implement and enforce a plan to keep the information your business depends on secure.