Data loss is a significant threat to any company. It can ruin your reputation, cost your business, and jeopardize your most important customer data. Data loss happens when sensitive or essential information on a computer is compromised by theft, human mistake, malware, viruses, or power outages. It could also occur due to a tower’s physical harm, mechanical malfunction, or other equipment. There are various ways to preserve sensitive information from your firm and avoid data loss. Understanding the leading causes and warning signs can help keep your data safe.
Access Control
Access control is essential to data security, enabling you to keep your company’s sensitive data safe. It ensures that only authorized users can access your data and prevents hackers from accessing it through unsecured devices.
Several different access control solutions are available from providers like Versa Networks, ranging from role-based to mandatory. Depending on your organization’s needs, you can choose one or more to protect your business from cyberattacks.
For example, if your company handles patient health information, use access control to limit the amount of data that people outside your organization can access. Healthcare organizations need to follow strict regulations around data security and privacy.
Authentication is another critical component of access control, as it helps you verify that users are who they say they are before they can enter your system. It also stores credentials against a username, IP address or another audit system to help with digital forensics during a security breach.
Encryption
Data encryption is one of the essential tools companies have to prevent data loss. It protects data in transit and at rest while minimizing the risk of abuse within your business.
Encryption uses a secret key to scramble plain text into encrypted code that cyber criminals can’t read. It can also protect sensitive personal information sent over the Internet, such as text messages and running logs from fitness trackers.
Privacy: This security measure prevents hackers, cybercriminals, internet service providers, spammers and even government agencies from obtaining or reading personal data. Regulatory Compliance: Many industries and government agencies have regulations requiring firms that interact with consumers’ personal information to keep their data encrypted. Examples include HIPAA and PCI-DSS.
It’s a good idea to encrypt all personal information in and out of your organization, especially for employees relying on mobile devices. It can help keep your data safe from theft or unauthorized use by employees who misplace or lose their devices.
Backups
Create a backup to prevent data loss. It can include everything from customer information to financial records. A good backup solution will create a copy of all your files and save them to a secondary device in an automated fashion. It is the first step to ensuring that your files are not lost during a computer failure, theft or accidental deletion.
Many different backup methods can be used to store your business’s data, each with benefits and limitations. For example, full backups require more storage than incremental backups and may take longer. In addition, backups should be backed up regularly and often. It is essential if you use applications that change their data daily, such as cell phone apps.
Training
Training is a great technique to assist your staff in preventing data loss. It teaches them to perform tasks like password management or email security.
It also focuses on helping people understand the nuances of their jobs so they can do their job more efficiently and effectively. It can take the form of e-learning, an in-house workshop, an online program or even a training course with expert instructors at an off-site facility.
The first step in preventing data loss is to identify the types of sensitive data that your company holds and how it could be compromised. Taking a proactive approach to this process can help your business to save money, avoid costly data breaches and protect its reputation.
Security Policies
Security policies spell out the rules, expectations, and overall approach an organization uses to protect its data’s confidentiality, integrity, and availability. Documented security policies are necessary for many organizations, including those that process credit cards and are subject to regulations like the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS).
An effective security policy considers various factors, from legal and regulatory concerns to organizational characteristics, contractual stipulations, and user input. The results should be a clear set of goals and objectives incorporated into a practical and achievable security plan for the organization.
Another critical component of any successful security policy is staff training tailored to your organization’s needs. Recognizing that most computer users have never been adequately trained in using technology effectively, instituting staff training tailored to your security policy’s requirements is an excellent way to modify staff behavior.
Moreover, security policies should be updated regularly to reflect the latest technological advances. New technologies can introduce new security issues and vulnerabilities, and updating your security policies should always be considered when developing a plan to prevent data loss.
