We understand how important data protection and data security is to your business (and is the area that we are most often asked to advise on), which is why we have put together some key ways in which you can enhance your data security and secure your systems.
What is Data Security?
Data security refers to privacy measures that are applied to prevent unauthorised access to computers, databases and websites. Data security also protects data from corruption.
Limit Data Access
Nowadays, organisations hold large amounts of personal information – information that has the right to be protected and kept private. There are various reasons why an organisation should limit unnecessary data access to its employees and various stakeholders and it is important that those within the business have access only to the data they need and nothing else. This can assist organisations in managing their data more efficiently and safeguarding data from being lost or stolen. It can also prevent data loss, theft and hacking.
Identify Sensitive Data
Organisations should be able to identify their most sensitive data, ensuring that it is highly secure and protected. Every caution possible should be taken to protect this data from unauthorised access, exposure or distribution.
Many well-known organisations have previously faced a large amount of criticism and publicity following the exposure of personal or sensitive data. This has not only caused a loss of reputation to a company, but has also negatively impacted its revenues.
Data Security Policy
To avoid being the victim of a data security breach there are a number of measures an organisation can implement to prevent these. Some of these may include:
- Implementation of security policies. This means having a firewall in place to protect servers and all PCs should have anti-virus software enabled. Windows 10 now comes with built-in anti-virus, for example.
- Have a cyber-attack response plan in place. Develop an appropriate cyber security response capability which will enable you to adopt a systematic, structured approach to cyber security incident response, including selection and management of external suppliers.
Use a Password Manager
It is essential that organisations do all they can to protect the data they collect and store. Organisations should ensure their passwords are strong, unique and that they use a different password for each account, as well as a password manager.
There are a range of tools available online such as Dashlane and LastPass. These services, not only let you store accounts and passwords in one place, but also help you pick high-quality secure passwords that you may want to use for the accounts that hold higher levels of sensitive personal information. However, it is important that you set an equally secure master password to access these services.
Regularly Back-up Your Data
There is a difference between making sure your data is secure and making sure your data is backed up. The former is about keeping your data protected from prying eyes, whereas the latter is about preparing for the worst case scenario we all dread.
If you run any kind of operation digitally and rely on this data, you should always keep a copy of your latest work or records. And we don’t mean locally on your computer, or ensuring the auto-save function is set up correctly.
If you find yourself needing some assistance or have some concerns over the security of your data or your IT systems, get in touch with us today. We are happy to help – 0161 464 6101.
