Business management is an undertaking that needs attention to many various factors, and it isn’t easy to always keep up with some of them. It is one thing to secure your business physically, but ensuring data security is an entirely different issue altogether. Data security is one area critical to the growth and survival of your business.
About 81% of the business executives admitted that the absence of cybersecurity exposed their businesses to cyber threats over the last two years. The ever-changing cyber threat landscape is sometimes hard to stay abreast with.
It has become common to read headlines of data breaches from companies. A laxity in corporate data security, employee negligence, and complexity in securing the data systems are some factors contributing to the increased data security breaches. Valuable data, both corporate and personal, are at stake. The data value is associated with lots of money, trustworthiness, and brand integrity. Compromise on your data security can be detrimental to the growth of your business. In this post, you will learn some fascinating data security tactics that can help your business grow.
Establishing Role-Based Access.
Regardless of the size of your business, you must consider what data an employee needs in their daily operations or what information they should have access to. For instance, your personnel files and proprietary data should not be accessible to everyone, and access to your bank accounts should be limited.
However, there is more to business security than ensuring only certain employees have the authority to sign checks. Who can access the IT data? Who has access to client information? Which parts of the company’s computer infrastructure can employees access with a password?
These are the vital questions at the heart of role-based access data security strategy. Ensure that data is only accessible to the roles that need it. Also, ensure you change the passwords regularly and revoke access for the former employees. It will prevent data theft and exposure to lawsuits by the affected customers.
Backup Your Data
The other good data security practice is backing up your company data. If your company’s mobile devices or computers are hacked, not only the personal data and financial information are at risk. You also risk losing your proprietary data, history, and files.
Imagine what you would have to reconstruct if you enter your office to find your files deleted from the servers. The labour you would have to put in. You can avoid that by ensuring your data is backed up offsite and on a remote server. Better be prepared than sorry.
Data backup ensures that you can still access the customer data while sorting the issue out in case of ransomware or a hack. Continuity is essential in your business’s growth as your business will still be offering the services while resolving the mess.
Spyware and Antivirus Protection
Business rivalry can push the competitors to the extent of spying and stealing your proprietary data. When a competitor gets your patented information and business secrets, they have the edge over you. To protect your business from these malpractices, ensure you install anti-spyware.
Spyware and malware are among the leading data threats. The good thing is, there are many products to protect your business from such. However, some companies flat out cannot implement this critical security strategy. To protect your critical business data and secure your proprietary information, ensure you install anti-spyware and antivirus solutions. Keeping them updated. There are many solutions like AVG, McAfee, Symantec, and Avast, to name a few.
Investing in An Anti-Bot Solution
As technology advances, cybercriminals are also investing in more complicated attack methods. One such method is bots and botnets to attack business data systems. Scalper bots are notorious for scalping your database for prices, purchasing items in bulk, and later reselling them at a profit. It creates an artificial shortage. Such a practice can tarnish the reputation of your business or even drive the customers away.
Scraping bots are known to scrap computer systems for information relating to proprietary data, client information, and financial records. When such information falls into the wrong hands, it can be used to blackmail you, get sold to your competitors, or even leaked online. Therefore, ensure you invest in a modern anti-bot solution to protect your data and ensure business growth.
Performing Data Risk Assessment
You might think that you have all data security issues covered. Maybe you are not convinced that you need to lock your data at all.
Or maybe you plan to get buy-in from partners or investors to invest in data security. Regardless of the reason, assessing risks your company data is exposed to is vital. It helps identify the vulnerabilities in your data systems. Risk assessment also helps mitigate and manage the risks.
Your company may need a data risk assessment or may not. If you are undecided, the risk assessment can help inform the decision. Hire a reputed penetration testing or cyber security firm to help with the risk assessment. Data risk assessment is a preventative measure that ensures you keep the data risk factors at bay, ensuring your business growth is uninhibited.
Focus on Remote Access and Physical Devices
So, you have installed a quality antivirus, anti-spyware, or anti-bot solution. You have emphasised to your employees how vital data security is, and they are on board. But have you considered the devices used by the employees for information access? Because of the pandemic, most employees are nowadays working from home. So, ensure that these devices are secure too.
The tablets, laptops, or mobile phones need to be secured even if they are no business property but can get into your system. Purchase antivirus software for your employees to keep the data security fault-proof. Educate the employees on the proper use of storage devices, like pen drives, when dealing with company data. Insist on using a VPN if the employee must use public Wi-Fi.
Conclusion
Protecting your business is vital if you want to see growth. Taking the appropriate measures to safeguard your data should be among the first things on your to-do list. Data is as vital as money nowadays, so ensure that it is securely stored and accessed only by those who must. It will prevent cybercriminals from exploiting the vulnerabilities in your company to steal data and harm your business. Although practising this may be costly, the costs of ignoring data security are far more expensive. The above data security tactics are vital in ensuring the growth of your business.
