Data breaches are an ongoing issue in today’s world. This year, large companies such as Equifax and Uber have suffered from data breaches, the latter even attempting to cover it up to avoid public scrutiny.Data breaches are an ongoing issue in today’s world. This year, large companies such as Equifax and Uber have suffered from data breaches, the latter even attempting to cover it up to avoid public scrutiny. A data breach can compromise, not only the information of you and your employees but the credit/debit card information and other sensitive information of your customers. Because of the weight of the consequences of a data breach, data security must be one of your business’ main priorities. Here are a few tips on how you can protect your company from a data breach.
There are numerous ways for malicious software to invade your data system. Spam email, attachments, and malicious links and websites are just a few ways that this can happen. This is why it’s so important for you to train your employees. They need to always be up to date with the latest scams so that they can avoid them at all costs. You can create links or emails in order to test your employees in a real-world setting. Hiring a third party to audit your business’ security policy would also be beneficial.
Require your employees to change their passwords consistently. Many hacks occur because hackers are able to bypass logins due to weak passwords. Require passwords that include uppercase and lowercase letters, special characters, and more than eight characters. Then, set them to be changed at a maximum 90 days. It may feel like an inconvenience each time you need to change your password, however, a security hack is a much bigger inconvenience.
Use cloud service. Not only is the cloud more secure than an on-site server, it is much more affordable. The risk of a breach is decreased when you have 24/7 access to it. With the price, security, accessibility, and low maintenance of the cloud, it is a must-have for any business.
PCI Compliance is very important for any business that accepts credit or debit cards. Being PCI compliant doesn’t necessarily mean that your company will be 100% safe from data breaches, but it does minimize the risks. By being PCI certified, your company can continue to be up to date with security trends.
Use a trusted IT company to help your company protect its data. Small business owners shouldn’t work alone in keeping data secure. Nevada IT Solutions, for example, provides 24/7 network monitoring, security software administration and maintenance, and more. With a trusted IT partner, you will have a plan at the ready, should a data breach occur. In addition, IT companies know what to look for when there is a security breach. Sometimes security breaches take a while to find, especially when you don’t know what to look for. An IT partner can spot these things for you with their network monitoring.
Do you need help protecting your business’ data? Nevada IT Solutions can help monitor and store your data and help to avoid a data breach. Contact [email protected] for more information!
