A business that uses technology to assist in its day-to-day operations needs from a business planning perspective to think about security on both the tangible and intangible levels. With many businesses handling confidential data and client information, data protection and breach prevention is an issue that the business must address.
Risks
At risk for businesses is the destruction, exposure or corruption of:
- customer records and personal information
- email records
- financial records
- business plans
- new business ideas
- marketing plans
- intellectual-property
- product design
- patent applications
- employee records (which could include sensitive, personal and identifiable information such as their date of birth)
Malicious or criminal attacks are a leading cause of reported data breaches. These can occur through:
- theft or unauthorised access of hardware for example computers and mobile devices
- infecting computers with malware (such as viruses, ransomware, and spyware)
- attacking your technology or website
- attacking third party systems
- spamming you with emails containing malware
- gaining access to your information through your employees or customers
Your business planning needs to cover these risks and put data protection systems in accordingly.
Solutions
Some tips on how to prevent the occurrence of data breaches that could harm your business include:
- Stronger password protection strategies, for example the employment of password encryption software.
- Businesses can use multi-factor authentication to add additional security
- Raise staff awareness about online security threats, prevention and protection measures, and have appropriate policies in place for staff to abide by.
- Back up and secure your data and network frequently and in multiple places – subsequently in the event of a breach where data is wiped, the backup will ensure that your business can continue operations.
- Ensure all information is encrypted via your network and encrypt sensitive data when stored or sent online. Above all, encryption reduces the risk of theft, destruction or tampering.
Subsequently, receiving advice from a cybersecurity adviser or employing a permanent cybersecurity specialist for your business could be your next step in protecting your data and online information.
