Like the past years, on the 28th of January, Israel, Canada, and other 47 European countries celebrated Data Privacy Day. The main aim of the celebration is to emphasize the importance of data security. During these celebrations, netizens and business owners are urged to invest much in data security to protect critical information from leaking out.
Although cybersecurity is progressing at a satisfactory speed, cybercriminals are always finding ways to tamper with individuals’ or organizations’ information. The increase in these crimes is posing a threat to netizens and business fraternities.
For instance, when a cybercrime known as WannaCry happened, it affected many businesses globally. In fact, it is among the cyberattacks that affected many business organizations in the past few years. It’s then that the business owners realized that you also protect your businesses’ infrastructure when you protect your data.
As an organization, you can improve your data security in many ways. Below are top tips to follow to ensure you have improved safety for your data.
Encryption
With a wide variety of smart devices, you cannot trust the ability of each of them to keep your data safe. As a result, you need to encrypt all data at all times. End-to-end cloud will ensure that only permitted persons with the authentication key can access the information. You can rest assured that non-permitted staff cannot access the data unless it’s active.
Have a Plan for Security Breach
Chances of facing cybercrime are rising, especially with the fast growth of the IoT. As much as you would like to prevent your organization from facing the crime, you should also plan on how to prevent high magnitude damage if it happens. Have a back-up plan in case of bleach. Get an endpoint software and have your security checked regularly.
Identify Sensitive Data
As an organization, you should identify the most sensitive data you possess. It will be of great importance to be aware of such information to prioritize its security. Although many organizations’ sensitive data ranges from 5-10% of the business, any breach involving sensitive data can cost your organization a lot, including its reputation. Therefore, when advancing in your data security, ensure that sensitive data is protected more than anything.
Use Strong Passwords
Use strong passwords to lock and unlock your data in your organization. Strong passwords are unlikely to get cracked by hackers. Use the combination of letters, numbers, and symbols to come up with a password that is not easy to crack.
On the other hand, avoid using the same password in different programs. In case the password is cracked, the hacker will try it to access different programs and accounts. Organizations should use different passwords for different accounts.
You can as well add biometrics, smartcard, and token authentication as multi-factor authentication. Doing so makes it more difficult for hackers to crack the password, ensuring high security for the data.
Take Audit Seriously
A business organization cannot have their data secured without audits. Having an audit done in the organization will detect shortcomings of the present security. If you were once a victim of cybercrime, the data you have will point out the mistakes you made that led to the bleach.
Use the information to put in place maximum security for sensitive information. Therefore, as a company, you should have a regular audit to enhance the safety of your sensitive data.
Educate Your Staff
Educating your staff is another way of protecting your data. They should be educated on how and whom to share the information with. Remember to limit the number of staff that can access the data and change the password regularly. To be safer, ensure that only a few employees can access your vital data.
Protecting Your Sensitive Data – Final Thoughts
There are many ways you can invest in to enhance the safety of your sensitive data. Knowing the misfortunes that can befall your company in case of a data leak, it is no doubt that securing your data should be your priority as an organization or an individual.
The list of what could happen when data is bleached is endless. Having said so, you should prioritize securing the information as much as possible. Many clients trust you in keeping their data safe, and as a company, you should not lose your dignity by not securing the data as it should be.
Ensure to invest in the best data security practices and incorporate the tips in this post. Cases of data breaches are not going anywhere. The steps that you take to protect your company data will make all the difference.