Posts

Effective Ways To Protect Your Customer’s Data

/in /by

StrategyDriven Risk Management Article |Protect Customer Data|Effective Ways To Protect Your Customer's DataAlmost every week, a new data breach is announced in the news. Data leaks are becoming more common, whether it’s hackers penetrating company computer systems, politicians forgetting USB drives on the train, or furious ex-employees pilfering critical files.

If you own or operate a business, you must take precautions to safeguard the information you collect and maintain, particularly information about your clients. Not only will their names and financial information be compromised, but your company’s image will suffer as well, as customers will abandon your business.

Here are a few pointers to help you along the way.

1. Only save information that is useful.

Even while it may be tempting, especially for promotional or communication purposes, to save all the information you can about your clients, you are increasing the danger of a breach. Limit the amount of data you keep on them to only what you really must. You may also wish to delete any information about clients who have stopped doing business with your company, because if they have made no attempt to contact you again, there is no need to retain their data on your system.

2. Protect the information of your clients.

The more difficult it is to hack into your computer, the more secure your customer data will be. As a result, keep your equipment up to date with the most recent firewalls and anti-virus software, and password-protect everything, especially anything relevant to your customers’ account information. An IT specialist can also offer suggestions on how to protect your PC even more effectively. An off-site document storage facility should be considered as well. In the unusual event that data is stolen, this type of business will have the most up-to-date security measures in place and will be held liable. As a result, clients will be more willing to utilise your services if they know that their personal information is safe.

3. Don’t use paper copies!

Scanning and digitizing your data for cloud storage or on your desktop computer eliminates the need to retain paper copies of anything anymore. Consequently, shred any paper waste and dispose of it properly; alternatively, use a paper shredding service to discard any sensitive material on your behalf. Remove everything that contains client data and you will have less of a possibility for data to be breached, whether by a disgruntled employee or a trespasser who has acquired access to your company. You should also teach employees how to safely use their computers and devices to avoid any unauthorized entry into your systems. This includes logging out whenever they leave their desk and using regularly changed and secure passwords.

Finally

When clients place their faith in you, you owe it to them to do all in your power to keep them happy. The first step in preventing a data breach is to ensure the safety of any personally identifiable information (PII) that may be stored about them. If you don’t, the implications might be devastating for you and your clients!

Staying Ahead Of The Curve With Software Security How To Protect Your Business Data

/in /by

StrategyDriven Risk Management Article |Software Security|Staying Ahead Of The Curve With Software Security How To Protect Your Business DataWe live in a fast-paced and highly competitive world. Businesses need to stay on top of the latest trends and innovations in order to grow and succeed. One such trend that all companies should keep an eye on is software security. However, as with any new technology, it can be hard to know how to best protect your data from security breaches.

The golden rule for staying safe in today’s world is to always update your software, make two-factor authentication a regular part of using your passwords, and use different passwords for different accounts. This guide will teach you how to stay ahead of the curve and secure your business data so that you can build a more promising future for your company.

Why Software Security Is Important

While it may seem like an unnecessary hassle, software security is essential for any business. Whether you’re a freelancer, startup, or global company, there are many reasons why security should be your top priority. It not only protects your reputation but can help your business to grow.

Data is the lifeblood of any business. Without the information stored on your computer or servers, you won’t have anything to sell or offer to customers. With this in mind, it’s important that you take every precaution possible to protect this data from breaches and theft. Hacks can happen at any time, and from anywhere in the world, so you want to make sure that your business data is safe from hackers who might be able to get into your system with one simple password guess.

When people come across a company that doesn’t protect their data or passwords adequately, they may think twice about buying from them in the future. This could hurt your brand reputation and cause potential customers to turn away from your business. Security is a win-win situation. Not only do you get peace of mind knowing that your data will be safe from hacks and theft, but you’ll also build trust when potential customers see how careful you are when it comes to handling their data.

The Basics Of Software Security

Software security is one of the most important things to consider to ensure your company’s data is safe. One of the best ways to protect your data is simply by updating your software. Outdated versions of programs can leave your data vulnerable to hackers since they know what vulnerabilities are available in older versions.

Many programs will automatically prompt you when it’s time to update, and while this may sometimes occur in inopportune moments, it’s best to make sure you update as soon as possible. A second way to keep your company’s data secure is by using two-factor authentication. This means using two different types of information to unlock an account; typically, this is a password and a physical device like an ID card or cell phone. It makes it harder for hackers to break into accounts because they need both pieces of information in order for their login attempt to work.

How To Stay Ahead?

No matter what kind of company you have, keeping data safe is essential. Any company that stores customer information or handles financial transactions needs to protect itself from hackers and other security breaches. One of the best ways to stay ahead is to build a data security infrastructure from the ground up. This includes investing in software that will make your business more secure.

Another way to stay ahead of the curve is to invest in adequate software security testing to ensure that there are no gaps in your software security. When looking into testing methods, it can be a daunting process to find what will work for your programs. However, you can find help and expert advice in this guide to software security testing from ForAllSecure.

The Importance Of Updating Your Software

One of the most important ways to protect your data from security breaches is promptly updating your software. Almost anything can be hacked in today’s environment, and outdated software is a major liability.

A security breach occurs when a hacker infiltrates your network and steals your data. Updating your software makes it harder for hackers to find a vulnerability in the system that they can exploit to get in. If you don’t take this precaution, you leave yourself vulnerable to attack and open to losing all of your company’s sensitive information. In the event of an attack, it may take days before you realize there’s been an intrusion. And by then, it might be too late as the damage could already be done.

Locking Down Your Passwords

Let’s start with the basics. Your passwords are one of your first lines of defense against hacking, and they’re also the easiest to forget about. Unless you want to be embarrassed by a data breach, it’s essential to take precautions. Make sure that you use different passwords for different accounts, including your personal email account, work email account, social media accounts, and bank accounts. If you need help coming up with strong passwords for all of these accounts, consider using a password manager. In general, make sure your passwords are not easy-to-guess words or phrases.

Two-Factor Authentication

Many companies have adopted two-factor authentication for their software, which is a simple and effective way to add an extra layer of protection to your data. With this system, when you want to access a specific account online, you’ll need a password and another form of identification, such as a company smartphone.

This is an excellent measure for securing your company’s data. It would be much more difficult for someone to access one of your accounts with two-factor authentication because they would need both the password and the device.

Conclusion

After reading this article, you should have a few more tools in your arsenal to stay ahead of the curve with software security.

As a business owner, it’s essential to make sure you’re taking a proactive stance on software security. It’s not enough to simply update your software. You can take precautions to keep your data safe and your business protected. Stay vigilant and stay ahead of the curve.

Take These Vital Steps To Keep Your Business Data Secure

/in /by

StrategyDriven Organisational Performance Measures Article |Keep your data secure|Take These Vital Steps To Keep Your Business Data SecureToday, consumers and business clients are paranoid about data security. They are constantly fearful that the data held by companies is leaving them vulnerable and open to cases of fraud or scams. That’s why it’s important for every business to take the right steps to secure all business data. Here are the possibilities that we recommend.

Research Standards To Remain Compliant

To help protect customers numerous new regulations have been brought in relating to data security. When you are running your business it is important that you remain compliant with these standards and regulations. For instance, you could be running an accounting firm. If that’s the case, you need to make sure that the software you are using is compliant. Accounting practice software that is compliant will be advertised as such so there should be no confusion here.

Hire An IT Support Team

One of the greatest risks for your business data security is the potential of a hack. It’s important to be able to recognize the key signs of a hack and address them accordingly without any delays. That’s why you should think about hiring an IT support team. An IT support team will monitor your network along with your different systems to check for any issues here and ensure that you are not leaving your business vulnerable. They can also guarantee that your business network and anything like your cloud solution is set up correctly from the first day that you decide to enter the market.

Invest In The Right Level Of Training

Next, you should think abou investing in the right level of training in your business model. The best training will ensure that you don’t have to worry about issues with security developing because your team members weren’t able to recognise the signs of a threat. Phishing scams are becoming more common in a range of different industries. The problem with phishing scams is that they will target team members at various different levels. Investing in training can help team members identify phishing scams so they don’t become victims of an attack like this, giving away sensitive data to the wrong source.

Use A Disaster Recovery Service

Finally, while your main goal should always be to prevent a hack, you do need to think about taking the right step after a hack occurs. More often than not, this is going to mean a full disaster recovery. Without the right plan in place this could take weeks or even months and cost your business thousands due to downtime. With a plan, you can get everything back up and running in minutes. You should speak to your IT support team about this possibility. They should be able to provide you with all the right options here that you need.

We hope this helps you understand some of the key steps that must be taken to ensure that your business data does remain secure. In doing so, you can avoid incidents that could obliterate your brand and cause you to lose the support of your clients.

What Is A Data Protection Policy? Can It Be Beneficial?

/in /by

StrategyDriven Risk Management Article |Data Protection Policy|What Is A Data Protection Policy? Can It Be Beneficial?Navigating in the digital world is a journey full of learning. Thanks to the numerous digital tools and solutions available today, businesses can achieve their goals faster and more efficiently. However, as a business owner, you must be cautious when using information systems. Along with the advantages of these online solutions are their disadvantages—some of which are data loss and theft. When using these online services and software, your data might be at risk.

Because of potential online and offline security threats to your business, it’s essential to set up your information technology (IT) team dedicated to data privacy and security. By arranging a data protection network inside your company, you can lower your company’s vulnerability to security crises today and in the future.

What makes data privacy and security significant? What could happen if a company isn’t able to protect its data? In this article, you’ll explore how you can level up your business security by establishing a data protection policy. You’ll discover how this policy can benefit your business or organization.

Importance of Data Privacy and Security

A simple click on the internet can leave significant digital footprints about your organization. Since it’s in the business’s nature to negotiate with consumers and investors, companies can obtain personal information from people they transact with. Still, they should keep these pieces of information confidential.

After meeting a stranger for the first time, bet you wouldn’t entrust them with your accurate personal information. You’ll only disclose more information about yourself as you develop more profound connections with people. The same goes for organizations. It’s the company’s responsibility to ensure data privacy by managing how data is collected, used, and stored. Likewise, it needs to establish data security to protect business data from internal and external attackers or any loss that could lead to the company’s downfall.

What Is A Data Protection Policy?

Essentially, a data protection policy defines how your company will protect the confidential, personal data of every individual involved in the organization. Personal data may include any information related to an identifiable person such as:

  • Name, address, and contact information
  • Online identifiers
  • Health information, records, and documents
  • Bank and credit card details
  • Employment information

Data protection policy shouldn’t be interchanged with ‘Privacy Policy’ and ‘Privacy Notice.’ While a privacy policy or notice explains how users’ data will be used, the data protection policy involves guidelines, rules, and principles that notify individuals on their protection coverage according to data protection laws.

Benefits of Implementing A Data Protection Policy

While smaller companies tend to overlook their data protection, it’s them that will be most vulnerable if they don’t recognize its importance immediately. Protecting your organization’s data with the data protection policy should be your top priority, especially during the first few years of your business, as it’ll help you reap these primary benefits:

1. Safeguard Your Company From Online Hackers

Digital threats can come from both inside or outside of your company. As most cyberattacks are unexpected, your organization can stay vigilant 24/7 from potential attackers with the help of a data protection policy. Aside from protecting your company’s data, implementing cybersecurity policies protects your businesses from costly data breaches and cyberattacks.

Employees are most vulnerable to online attacks as they travel from websites to attachments, share passwords, bypass encryption, and other small actions that may put them and the company’s safety at risk. Spreading security awareness among your employees is a crucial aspect of the data protection policy.

2. Offer Peace of Mind To Employees and Customers

As a loyal customer, what would you feel if you’ve recently discovered that one of your trusted brands hasn’t established a strong data protection policy yet? Of course, you’ll feel worried that anyone can easily access your confidential information, and worse, take advantage of it to cause you or other people harm.

Establishing a data protection policy on your company gives your customers and employees peace of mind that their information is always kept secure and private. While there’s an uncertainty that their data can’t be compromised in the future, having a data protection policy prevents or lessens the damage inflicted by any potential data breach.

3. Increase Customer Engagement and Trust

Companies that have had security issues now look less appealing to customers and investors. Sixty-five percent of 4,500 consumers indicated that they wouldn’t transact with businesses with a data breach history. These consumers also feel that only 50% of companies they negotiate with take data privacy and security seriously.

Therefore, if you’re a company with well-established data protection policies and haven’t had any data security issues before, customers are more likely to be involved in your brand offers. This gives you an edge against brand competitors.

Takeaway

In this technological age, businesses and organizations should always prioritize managing their data. While these data are mere combinations of letters, numbers, and figures, they hold an unparalleled value to your company. Entrepreneurs should understand that data integrity isn’t a burden to their plate and acknowledge it as an important element to drive business growth and success.

Five Advantages Of Cloud Computing For SMEs

/in /by

StrategyDriven Tactical Execution Article |Cloud Computing|Five Advantages Of Cloud Computing For SMEsThe importance of cloud computing is overlooked by many businesses, it is vital for small and medium businesses to function at their best.

Why is cloud computing so important for SMEs? The idea of the cloud is that it is a network of remote servers that will allow you to access shared applications, storage, and other computing resources via an internet-based facility. The cloud replaces the need to have to install additional hardware of your own. The cloud is all around you, operating in your day to day life.

Everything is moving into the cloud. This is because there are a lot of cloud computing use cases that will make life a lot easier for users and businesses alike. It can improve cash flow, increase efficiency, and offers a lot of other advantages.

Flexibility

When you own a business, have the needed flexibility is essential. This is where cloud computing for SMEs can come in to help you. When you’re on the go, you know that you can rely on the cloud to give you access to modify and save the files you need from any device wherever you happen to be.

If you want to access virtual resources like protected storage, web applications, or redundant firewalls for example, then you can do this by using any device that is connected to the cloud via the internet. Activity like this can give any small business the upper hand on the competition.

Portability – Remote IT Infrastructure

As part of the advantage of flexibility, the cloud offers near limitless computer resources to its users regardless of their location.

The ability to allocate an entire server farm’s equivalent of computer power for your project or the task you need to do with just a few clicks is very appealing. Every major player in business uses a platform like this to give its users and internal employees access to secured data.

Data Security

Storing files and your important data via the cloud is often safer than more traditional storage on a phone or a computer. There are often many laters that are put into cloud computing security so the best cloud service providers can offer infrastructure will protect all your data.

Software Updates

Automatic software updates are another bonus that you can get from moving across to a cloud computing system. A key thing that can damage the productivity of a business is running out of data software. A lot of owners neglect this step, so it’s a common issue. With the cloud, it’s the job of the cloud service provider to manage any needed maintenance and software updates without you having to worry about it.

Environmentally Friendly

Cloud computing can easily be scaled to match your business needs. Before the cloud, you had to buy physical machines yourself, pay to power the whole server room, and pay employees to handle maintenance. Now, you only need to pay for the resources that you actually need. This helps the environment by reducing your carbon footprint.