Data protection can decrease the chance of cyber-attacks which could adversely affect your business and your reputation. It is crucial to understand the best practices to protect your sensitive data and to follow them. A breach of your personal information can result in lawsuits and fines that could have long-term implications for you or your company.
Password protection is essential for all devices and files – This simple step can keep hackers from gaining access to your information. Use strong passwords that contain complex combinations of numbers, letters and symbols. Change default passwords supplied by vendors to more secure ones as soon as you are able to. Regularly update your anti-virus program and conduct a security scan on your servers and computer.
Don’t send personal information that is confidential or personally identifiable via email. This includes Social Security Numbers, bank account numbers, passwords, etc. Email isn’t secure, and can be accessed.
Secure your data and network – Make sure you use strong encryption to protect your computers, laptops and portable storage devices. This will enable you send data to third parties securely and protect data on the devices. It’s also crucial to have a strategy for responding to a cyber attack that includes who to notify and how to respond (e.g. employees customers, credit institutions, and employees).
Ensure you have a backup of all your data Keep offline copies of your important data in separate locations from where the primary copies are stored. This will help to prevent hackers from gaining unauthorised access to your primary copy, or from eliminating it.