Data breaches are a company’s worst nightmare, but they are more likely to occur than ever before due to the ever-growing technological developments. We are all aware of the cyber threats that are out there, but few of us expect to become a victim of internet crime and data breaches.
Even with just one account in your company being hacked and data being breached, it can bring down a whole network and stop a company from being able to trade for a significant period.
A data breach can be catastrophic to both your business and your reputation if sensitive material regarding your customers is breached when you fall victim to cybercrime. Therefore, it is important that you put the necessary precautions in place that will limit your chances of a suffering a data breach, while also having a strategy in place to limit the damage a breach can cause before one occurs.
Here are a few ideas on how to protect your company from a dreaded and detrimental data breach.
Educate Your Employees
It is important that all your employees are made aware of the dangers that come from working online, and that they are aware of all the potential threats. It is essential that your employees are aware of the signs and how-to identify suspicious activity online that could indicate a hacker or cyber threat.
Research has shown that data breaches are often a product of employee error and carelessness, so you should be sure to provide your employees with thorough training so that they know how to prevent a data breach, but also so that they know how to quickly react if one starts to happen.
They should also be aware of how to access data from home where they aren’t on a secure network, as this can give hackers access to sensitive and important data.
Be Prepared
Sometimes data breaches just aren’t avoidable and even the most protected of networks can still get broken into by the sneakiest of hackers. Therefore, it is important that you have systems and procedures in place to help you prepare for a data breach. A data breach can occur in several ways, and even by an employee losing or having stolen a company device, your important data can be at risk.
For example, you should consider investing in Hidden app, which is a program that can track stolen Mac laptops, as well as take pictures of whoever is using the device in order to catch the culprit red-handed. Hidden also collects information on what keys were used while the Mac is out of the owner’s possession, and can tell you what information has been accessed.
Encryption is Essential
It is crucial that you protect any sensitive data, whether it belongs to you or your customers, and no matter where it is stored. Therefore, you should use encryption to protect data, as it makes sure that it isn’t usable if someone unauthorized were to access it. Encryption makes data unreadable by scrambling up the relevant information so that it means nothing to someone who isn’t authorized to access it.
Also, Read:
How to protect your content from being copied or theft
Develop Your Login Protocol
Along with employee education, you should ensure that your employees think carefully about their login details and have passwords that can’t easily be guessed by someone else. Having a strong password is an essential way to stop your company from suffering a data breach.
Data breaches can be fatal for a company, as they can bring operations to a halt and deter customers from using you again. But by having procedures in place, you can rest assured your information is protected in any event.
