Every company possesses data that they don’t want to fall into the wrong hands. This could include bank details, bills and invoices, medical information, secret recipes, secret designs and even private conversations in emails. Making sure that this sensitive information doesn’t leak involves putting in place thorough security measures. Here are just a few security measures that every company should take.
Invest in reliable digital security software
First you need to ensure that you’ve got strong digital security software installed on all your computers. This needs to be able to fight off viruses and network intrusions, while also warning you of threats (this could include telling you when a website isn’t trustworthy or when an email may contain a virus). Read reviews of software to find the best suited program for your business and make sure that it is constantly updated.
Encrypt files
Encryption involves encoding files so that they can only be accessed by certain authorized people. This is worth doing with any files containing potentially sensitive information. There are lots of encryption tools that you can use to do this.
Make passwords strong
There’s no use encrypting files if your passwords are all simple and easy to crack. Make sure that all passwords are complex – they should ideally be a random combination of numbers and letters containing no obvious words or dates (especially words or dates related to your business). There are password generators that you can use to come up with strong passwords.
Back up files on the cloud
Backing up files could be important in the event of a ransomware attack. Ransomware will take your files hostage, threatening to delete these files unless you pay a ransom. Many people end up paying this random because they don’t want this data deleted – however, if you’ve got this data backed up, it doesn’t matter if it’s deleted. The cloud is the best place to back up this data. Shop around for cloud providers to find the most secure option for your needs.
Protect physical documents
As well as protecting digital files, make sure that any physical documents are also secure. A document control cart enclosure could be useful for protecting physical documents containing sensitive information. Only allow trusted people access to this document control cart.
Train employees in security protocol
Security protocol will ensure that employees take the right steps when dealing with threats. This could include setting strong passwords, not opening emails that are labelled as suspicious and backing up new files that are created. It could also be worth rehearsing a cyberattack drill so that all your employees know how to react in the event that you are hacked.
