The amount of data that companies store on their customers is higher than ever and there are a lot of people out there that would love to get their hands on that information. If somebody can steal the credit card information of your customers and get into their bank accounts, that’s really bad news for you. You’ll lose the trust of those customers and probably everybody that they know. If the data breach is made public, you’ll really struggle to get people to trust you with their details again in the future. In some cases, you may even have to pay a large fine if you haven’t followed data security laws properly. It’s pretty hard for a business to come back from that so it’s important that you’re looking after sensitive information properly.

 

There is also a lot of information about the company itself that you don’t want getting out either. First off, you don’t want anybody getting hold of your company bank details because they could clean you out. Your rivals might also be looking for information on what your future plans are and if they get hold of it, it could really mess up your business plan. So, as well as keeping customer data safe, you need to make sure you’re keeping your own information under wraps. With so many threats out there, it’s essential that you follow these steps to keep your data safe.

 

Don’t Forget Physical Theft

This is often the biggest mistake that people make when they’re thinking about data security. Online theft is a big problem but that doesn’t mean people won’t break into the office and steal physical copies of all of your information. It’s important that you’re protecting yourself against break-ins as well as online attacks. You need a comprehensive CCTV system around the building to act as a deterrent and catch evidence if somebody does still decide to break in. You can buy your own cameras and set them up but the chances are, criminals will know how to get around them easily. You need a proper security company like Mobile Video Guard that can supply professional cameras that criminals can’t easily disable. Getting some floodlights is a great cost effective way to protect the office as well. As soon as they turn on, potential burglars will disappear.

Even with those precautions, there’s still the chance that somebody might break in. That’s why it’s important that you secure documents inside the building as well. Any sensitive documents that you don’t need to use again should be shredded immediately. Anything that you do need to keep should be kept in a locked filing cabinet at the end of each day.

It’s also important that you know who has access to sensitive information and only allow people to take it from the office if it’s absolutely necessary. Keeping track of where sensitive documents are at all times is the easiest way to stop any from getting lost.

 

Stay On Top Of Data Privacy Law

There are a lot of rules and regulations around handling customer data and if you find yourself on the wrong side of them, you could get into a lot of legal trouble. That usually results in big fines that could cripple your company. There has been a recent change in the law so make sure that you’re fully up to date with what the new laws are. If you’re not taking the right steps when you’re handling any customer data and there is a breach, you’ll be liable for it. That’s why it’s vital that you know the law inside out.

 

Bring Your Own Device Policy

Changes in working practice mean that a lot more employees are working at home, whether that be full-time or just after the work day is done. That means more and more people are viewing company data on their private devices. That’s a big risk for you. You have control over the security systems that you put on company computers but you don’t know whether your employee’s devices are secure or not. If they’re storing sensitive data on there, that makes it very easy for you to lose it. That’s why you need a very strict bring your own device policy. Only allow people to take sensitive information off work computers if they absolutely need to. If people are going to access things on their own devices, you should have them checked over by your own IT team before you clear them.

 

Change Passwords Regularly

When was the last time you changed your company passwords? Whatever the answer, it’s probably not regular enough. The longer you keep the same password, the more vulnerable it becomes. There’s no solid answer about how often you should change your password but as a general rule, you need to be changing it if you have any worries about any potential dangers. It needs to be at least a few times a year at minimum if you want to stay safe online. If you encourage your employees to change their passwords too often, that’s likely to end up with people choosing unsafe passwords because they have to keep thinking of new ones. They’ll end up with things like password1 that are easy to crack. Another important thing to remember is that you shouldn’t be using the same passwords for everything. If one of them is compromised then everything is at risk. The reason that people end up using the same password for everything is because they don’t want to have to remember loads of different ones. Luckily, you can use password management software that you can use to help you. It’ll generate random passwords for you that are difficult to crack but you can still use your own password to get into the management software and log into your accounts. It’s the best way to make sure that you’re safe without having to remember hundreds of passwords.

Protecting your data is essential as a business owner. If you make any mistakes, you could end up in big trouble.