If you’re in charge of a company, you should already know how big of an impact a data breach can have. No company wants an issue like that on their records; but, luckily, there are ways to defend your company’s information from such scenarios. This guide will introduce you to the most effective ways to prevent a company data breach.
Keep Sensitive Information at a Need-to-Know Basis
This isn’t just something for government agencies—keeping sensitive information limited to those who need it to complete their daily jobs is a responsible way of handling such data. By making information readily available for anyone who walks in through the front doors, you increase the chances of it falling into the wrong hands.
Securely Destroy Sensitive Information
Once you no longer need sensitive information such as medical records or bank account information, don’t simply toss them in the dumpster out back or pass them through the office shredder. If you have a schedule of when to dispose of sensitive information in the office, contact a professional shredding company to help you get rid of it when the time comes.
Don’t worry—this won’t be some massive endeavor. Professional shredding companies will usually offer onsite or offsite document destruction, both of which involve the company coming to your office, so you don’t have to go to them. They can destroy the documents right there in front of you or, if you’d prefer, they can bring it to a separate but secure facility for destruction.
Place Each Computer Under Password Protection
All company computers should require a password for anyone to access them. Teach employees how to create strong, unique passwords. That may sound pointless considering how often any given person needs to create or use an account password for social media, streaming services, bank accounts, etc. However, it’s still a good idea to give them a refresher.
Since you obviously can’t protect physical documents with passwords, lock them away in a secure area, and only provide the key to an employee when necessary.
Regularly Update Your Security Software
Using firewalls, anti-virus software, and other means of digital security is one of the best ways to prevent a company data breach, but you have to update them on a regular basis. If you regularly update your cybersecurity, you can avoid relying on outdated software to protect your sensitive information. To help strengthen your cybersecurity, stay on top of updates for operating systems and any software you use for work-related tasks as well.
