A data breach or security violation describes any individual or company’s protected or confidential data being viewed, copied, stolen, or transmitted without authorization. Sometimes, data breaches are also referred to as data leaks and unintentional information disclosure.
No matter what you call it, this kind of event can be damaging for any business, particularly if sensitive customer data is leaked. This is why it’s essential to avoid data breaches at all costs, even those that aren’t necessarily malicious. While no strategy is 100% foolproof, the following strategies will certainly improve your chances of avoiding data breaches.
Outsourcing Your IT Services
You might be an expert in many areas of your business, but you’re likely not an expert in what it takes to keep your data secure. By relying on managed service providers (MSPs), you can rest assured that everything related to data protection and security is being taken care of by experts.
While you carry on with your daily tasks, your MSP can provide a range of IT services in the background to prevent unauthorized access to your data. They can even make your day-to-day operations easier by introducing you to the world of cloud computing.
If you’re unsure whether your business is in need of extra protection, IT companies can perform security audits and risk assessments to see just how vulnerable to data breaches your company might be.
Educate Your Employees
Employee access to systems and data is central to their ability to perform the tasks for which you hired them. However, you can’t guarantee that all employees know how to keep your business and its data secure. Education can be the key to preventing breaches.
Invest in training that shows them how to identify and avoid malware, viruses, and phishing scams. It’s also a good idea to individualize authorizations, so every employee only has access to the systems, apps, and data they need to perform their specific role.
Invest in a Backup Service
You might have complete faith in your business servers to function as they should, but outside attacks can wipe out an entire company’s data in just seconds without security measures in place.
Once you’ve bulked up your layers of protection, consider investing in a backup service. If a copy of your company data is stored elsewhere, you’ll have access to it, even if your work network has been compromised.
Update Software and Firmware
Ransomware syndicates and malware creators are continually coming up with ways to break into secure networks, which means software and firmware providers need to be at the top of their game. This is one of the reasons why they frequently provide new patches and updates.
While it’s tempting to repeatedly click ‘remind me later,’ performing these updates can be crucial for ensuring that your anti-virus systems, operating systems, and even hardware like routers have all the necessary security measures to prevent a breach.
Have “Offboarding” Procedures for Departing Employees
Employees have a great deal of access to your business. They might have software and hardware passwords, devices with sensitive data, and building access codes.
All businesses need to have a plan for taking back this crucial information when an employee leaves, even if they cannot physically access their devices. Talk to your IT department or MSP about restricting and removing access for the security of your business.
Thousands of businesses are affected by data breaches each year, and they might not be entirely avoidable. However, by focusing on some of the areas above, your business will be far safer than you ever thought possible.
