Data security has become a huge concern for businesses across the United States. According to the Identity Theft Resource Center, there have been over 5,000 data breaches between 2005 and 2015. With National Privacy Day approaching on January 28, Kansas City managed services provider, MDL Technology, is sharing some important tips and advice for your business’s data security plan.
According to the Department of Information Technology Services, Data Privacy Day aims to raise privacy and data protection awareness among consumers, organizations and government officials. Data breaches cost companies millions of dollars, on top of negative recognition and loss of customers. According to a report by IBM, the average cost of a data breach during 2015 was $3.8 million, representing a 23 percent increase since 2013.
Don’t become another statistic; follow these tips from IT Pro Portal on how to become a data security pro for your company.
- Don’t make security an afterthought: Collecting sensitive data comes with being a business owner, but it’s important to think about the security of that information before you collect it. Data security is all about being proactive, so when storing sensitive data, don’t hold on to it longer than you need it.
- Stay in control: Only certain people need to know where you store your company’s private data, so it’s important to limit access to selected personnel. Ensure your employees only have access to the information they need.
- Passwords and authentication: Passwords are a must when it comes to protecting your company’s most important data. Create complex passwords that include a mixture of capital letters, numbers and special characters and change them every so often to make it harder for hackers to get in. For added security, disable access after a specific number of failed login attempts.
- Remote control: Allowing your employees to telecommute is great for company culture, but increases data security concerns. It’s important to restrict the ability to re-login to other desktops and servers.
- Make a plan: While you may think your company is secure, it’s important to remember that no one is ever completely safe from a data breach or hackers. Because of this, it’s important to stay on top of your systems and technology updates. Make sure to keep everything up-to-date and have a plan for what to do if your data has been exposed.
For this National Privacy Day, let’s fight back against hackers. Be proactive and make sure your company has a disaster recovery plan in place. At MDL Technology, we offer off-site backup solutions to keep your data safe and secure in case of imposing threats. With advanced encryption tools, no one can access your company’s data without your knowledge. Visit our website to learn more.
For more tips to improve your company’s data security plan, click here.
