Data Security Tips That Will Keep Your Company Safe

Small businesses are being forced to get to grips with data, so it’s time yours did too. If you don’t take steps in the right direction, you might learn data security lessons the hard way. And that won’t be a good thing for your business. Putting the right measures in place to keep your data secure doesn’t have to be difficult though. The tips discussed below will be enough to put your business on the right path, so read on to learn more.

Automate Backups In The Office

When you store data in your office, you need to make sure that you back it up. There are so many things that could go wrong and put your data and your customers’ data at risk. Corrupted hard drives and things like potential fires provide a real threat. When you back this data up, you will be able to access it even if something goes wrong and the data storage system is damaged. Backing up data doesn’t have to be something that takes up your time though. You can automate the process so that it all gets done automatically. It’ll save you some time and keep your data safe.

Use Updates And Patches

When you use software to store and access data in your office, it tends to be updated regularly. Developers release patches and updates at regular intervals. But many people simply ignore these updates. That is not a good idea though. When a developer releases a patch or update, it means that they have found a specific reason to do so. With patches, it means that they have found something wrong with the existing software and want to put it right. And updates always make the software safer and more secure. So, you can’t afford to ignore them; doing so would be a big mistake.

Control Access Carefully

There should be a very limited number of people who have access to your company’s data. If anyone can get access, then problems are going to occur. So, choose a limited number of people who have authorisation to access the data stored by the company. They should have a particular reason relating to their job role for needing to access the data. And they should also be people that you feel you can trust. The smaller the group of people who has access is, the better it is for the company as a whole. It will make illegal data breaches much less likely. Make sure these people have the right training too.

Store Some Data Off-Site

It might also be a good idea to store some of that data in a secure location. This is something that applies to the most sensitive data. If you want to be 100% sure that data won’t be compromised, you could pay a colocation data storage center to store the data for you. This will make it very difficult for the data to be breached by anyone, and that can only be a good thing. Colocation pricing differs from company to company, so do your research and find the best deal and service for your needs. When you’ve done that, some of the stress will be lifted from your shoulders.

Use The Strongest Passwords Possible

Passwords are something that we take for granted. We usually pick something that we find easy to remember and leave it at that. But that’s not necessarily the right approach to take. If you fail to choose passwords that are complicated and strong, your data becomes more vulnerable. The access to your data should be as difficult as it possibly can be for people you want to keep out. If you opt for weak passwords, then you will be making the task of criminals much easier than it really should be. You could use a password generator if you want to come up with particularly strong passwords.

Don’t Forget About Shredding

One of the most important things you can do for data security is also one of the most simple. Shredding important documents is something that allows you to get rid of physical data in the office. If you don’t shred these pieces of paper when they are no longer needed, they could be found by criminals. So, make sure you invest in a shredder because it will be one of the most important appliances in your office. They’re so cheap to buy and easy to use, so there is no excuse for not buying one. It could be the thing that stops criminals accessing important data.