Secure data is key to modern business.
There’s so much to be aware of: financial information; planning; documents; online banking; debit and credit card information; customer data; payments; staff contracts; tax information.
It’s enough to drive you crazy!
All of these need to be secure and with threats changing and appearing all the time, a pro-active and ongoing data security strategy is key!
Make sure you have the right IT support for the size of your business
Data security is not one-size-fits-all!
It depends a great deal on your resources, how big your business is and the types of data you handle and store. Thankfully, there are a few different ways of doing this.
If you have the need and resources, you could have a full dedicated IT staff within your building. This is the most expensive, for sure, but also the most robust.
Alternatively, you could hire in IT staff as you need them when issues arise. This is definitely a cost saver but a riskier strategy.
Thirdly, you could outsource your IT staff but on an ongoing basis. This is an attractive option, since it can be scaled up or down, depending on what you need. It can be as flexible as you like.
Ensure you have secure online connections
If you want your data to be secure, you need secure online connections.
Some connections are just not secure enough, with webmail and file sharing systems often cited as weak links in the data chain.
Using a VPN (Virtual Private Network) will make your connection much more secure. You can find out more about the benefits of these on the VPNMash website.
Have a good & up to date system for IT equipment
It’s essential that your anti-virus and anti-malware software are kept up to date, as well as things like OS updates and general software updates.
Prevention is better than cure, especially if you rely on a remote workforce. One of the difficulties of using remote workers is providing IT support, since it’s a lot more difficult to send out someone to get things fixed. A lot more difficult and a lot more costly!
Make sure your website is secure
Your website will arguably be the most public part of your IT network. It’s the part that’s available to the general public and can hold information like credit card details and customers’ email addresses.
Since it’s the most public, you need to make sure your site is secure.
Make sure that you’ve installed good web security software. You’ll thank yourself later!
Ensure that staff are trained & up to date on data security
IT staff, reliable hardware and up-to-date software are only as good as the people who actually use them.
In order to keep your business secure, make sure that your staff are trained up on threats and good practice. They should have a good understanding of how to do their part when it comes to data security.
Again, prevention is better than cure. If your staff know exactly what to do, the risk of mistakes is greatly reduced.
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