Businesses are progressively becoming victims of cyber crimes. Data breaches are blameworthy for costing millions of dollars for the companies and yet perpetuate to happen. External hackers are not always those who attack your business operations from the other side of the globe, breaches can be brought about by somebody within the company. So, let us understand what data security is and how it can secure your business from potential threats.
Data Security involves strategies and practices employed to forbid and monitor unauthorized access, embezzle, alteration and repulse of a computer network. An effective data security necessitates the authorization of access to data in a network which is administered by the network administrator. It is a policy designed to cushion the integrity of your data. It scrutinizes a variety of threats and ceases them from entering your network.
Data security amalgamates multiple defense layers in a network. Every layer of security enforces policies and controls. We live in a land of digital transformation. Each and every organization that aims to deliver services to its customers and employees must protect its data.
Table of Contents
Steps to keep your business information secure
Confidentiality, availability, authentication, authorization, accounting and integrity are the key principles of data security. Data security begins with authentication, with a username and a password.
Newer systems combining unsupervised machine learning with complete network traffic analysis can unmask active network attackers. With the right software, professional help, and equipment, there are a couple of steps you can take to enhance your data security over a period of time. Listed below are some essential tips for a business concerned with data security.
1. Monitoring network security with data security software
Having your anti-malware and anti-virus applications up to date is an unvaried task but it is undoubtedly essential to keep the business data secure from intruders that are looking to access and hack your network. All kinds of sensitive data must be encrypted using encryption software.
All the organizations depend on the wireless network to go online and execute business successfully. While it feels great not to have your computers tied by a wire, a wireless network is a prospective target for cyber-criminals and hackers.
Your router and Wi-Fi access must be secure with passwords to protect your business and your employees by using the strongest encryption standard. Other than terminating random users thieving your Wi-Fi password you can also block hackers from hijacking files, accounts and other financial information. Additionally, businesses can conceal their networks from cyber criminals by disabling the SSID broadcasting function.
2. Use spam filters and overwrite deleted files
You know you can clear emails that look suspicious. Sadly, spammers are getting a lot more sagacious these days, posting emails that look licit but are not. Installing a foolproof spam filter on your email can ensure you don’t become a victim of one of these swindles.
Superficially deleting information on your device doesn’t mean it is permanently deleted. Often times the data still exists on the disk and can be retrieved by someone who knows how to go about it. Overwriting is the only way to ensure your data is permanently deleted.
3. Upgrade regularly
Updating your software achieves multiple tasks. They come handy for both individual software and operating systems. Updating your software regularly will deliver multiple revisions for your computer, like eliminating outdated features, adding new features, furnishing bug fixes, updating drivers, and most importantly fixing security deficiencies that have been detected.
A security deficiency established in an operating system is called software vulnerability. Hackers bleed this vulnerability which can impair your software. Once the software is infected and damaged, the hacker can steal all the necessary data and control your computer.
Once a software or hardware is released, the organization that generated it extends continuous support, which means issues are super scribed with updates, that fixes bugs. You can also prefer to be informed and receive automated updates as and when they are available. Once your network components and computer are updated, you can infer that your computer is secure.
4. Securing passwords for data security
Hackers normally employ passwords to raid networks. The only way to dodge this is being equipped with a proper password. This calls for a strong password of eight to twelve characters, incorporating upper and lower case letters and numbers. The passwords are vulnerable if they carry personal information like date of births and names. The companies must persuade employees to revise their passwords frequently.
There have been many horror stories of Facebook and many other sites being hacked by professional hackers who have managed to unearth hundreds of thousands of user’s passwords and other information. Such instances underline and explain how many organizations need to review and modify their password policies.
You are required to have clear policies in place defining rules about protecting passwords, even for coworkers. Organizations that necessitate employees to carry an ID card should seek upgrading cards to tokens for a two-factor authentication. This facilitates centralized means to establish and enforce access policies, reducing the risks involved with plagiarized passwords.
5. Data security training for employees
Empowering employees to identify common data threats can be beneficial to your company’s computer security. Security awareness training enables employees to fathom vulnerabilities and threats to business operations. Employees need to be cognizant of their responsibilities and accountabilities while working on a business computer network.
Breaches often prevail not because of insufficient protections but because of employees surfing perilous sites, downloading files and clicking on harmful links or that may contain malware.
Training sessions should be scheduled regularly in order to establish a data security culture in the organization. Employee training must include an emphasis on data security and responsibility of each employee to safeguard company data. Employees must be trained to choose a password which is cryptic and strong. Organization system must send periodic reminders to employees to modify their password.
6. Restrict access and seek a trusted adviser
Only business partners and the most trusted employees must have access to your customer data. Whether you keep your documents in your computer or an online tool or a file cabinet. Ensure fewer trusted people have the keys, passwords or codes. You need to keep an account of and record who has access to what so when an employee is relieved from your company, the passwords and codes can be changed and hence the data remains protected.
Business organizations require a trusted advisor, who assists them in understanding their data security tasks, implementing a plan to ensure long-term protection and review available solutions.
Employees should safeguard their computers by keeping them in a secure place. Pre-eminent information should be backed up regularly with backed-up copies being kept securely. All employees are accountable for accepting virus protection software updates on company PCs.
As the world focuses more and more on digitalization, cybersecurity has taken a bottom-rung. The kinetics of business is changing rapidly and the new marketing strategies are replacing network securities. Security researchers are proactively facilitating us with the required information and knowledge regarding cyber threats evolving from time to time.
Towards the end, it sums up to being alert, applying some common sense and being updated. Your data is never 100% secure all the time, nonetheless, you can certainly lower the chances of the breach by keeping the above points in mind.
