With the number of Internet-enabled electronics and the amount of personal data we store on these devices being constantly on the rise, it is now more important than ever that we keep all this data safe. If we’re talking about a business environment, things are even more sensitive, as a data leak can have a huge negative impact on your business, being able to ruin in a moment what you’ve been building for years. The stress of keeping all that data safe can be a colossal burden at all times, but it doesn’t necessarily have to be that way. Here are some key data security measures you should be taking to ensure your private data stays private.
Secure Your Cloud
Unless your business’ operating model is still in the last decade, chances are you’re using cloud services. This option is a no-brainer: they’re cheap, efficient, and in the vast majority of cases, reliable. We didn’t say they are always reliable because they’re not. While cloud services used to be offered by mammoth IT companies only at first, which had their own super-secured infrastructure and datacenters that boosted a high level of data security, as demand for such services raised, so did the number of cloud service providers, and some of them focused more on getting the best bang for the buck, and perhaps overlooked certain aspects in the process.
The best way to ensure your cloud data is safe is to go the extra mile when choosing your cloud service provider and ensuring they value the security of your data as much as you do. Start with the physical location of their datacenters (you wouldn’t want your data stored in a datacenter that’s located in a zone that’s prone to earthquakes, floods or other types of natural disasters), and go up the ladder through hardware capabilities, encryption options, security measures and policies and everything in between. Even if the provider in question ticks all the right boxes, it’s important to always keep a backup of your own, stored on a different medium, in a different physical location (be it your company’s headquarters or another datacenter).
Secure Your Devices
You know how they say that a chain is only as strong as its weakest link? This applies perfectly to IT network security – it only takes one vulnerable device to make your entire network vulnerable. As if securing a whole network of devices was not difficult enough, cloud services also lead to the birth of the BYOD trend. In case you’re not familiar with the term, BYOD stands for Bring Your Own Device, and as its name suggests, it refers to a quite popular trend of companies allowing their employees to bring and use their own devices for job-related purposes, which means that these devices need to be secured as well in order not to become the weak link. This makes it more complicated to keep things under control, but not impossible. With a carefully-crafted plan and some strong policies in place, keeping this chaos secured is quite possible.
For starters, it’s important to secure the communication channels between the devices and the cloud. If you’re using custom software for the job, opt for the strongest possible encryption. Security measures that prevent the leak of data through duplicating, screen capturing and other means should also be considered. Consider allowing the software to run only on your company’s own secure network, or at least limit its functionality on unsecured networks – coffee shop Wi-Fi networks are not exactly ideal for handling delicate data. Using a powerful antivirus solution is also a must in order to prevent outsiders (both people and malicious programs) from getting access to your data.
Last but not least, since we live in a mobile world, it’s important to take into account the possibility of a device getting stolen or lost – you will need to have a plan for such scenarios. The first step in this direction is making it really hard, if not downright impossible, for an unauthorized user to access the device; consider using two-factor authentication and really strong passwords for this. Secondly, make sure you have a way to remotely disable, lock, or at least wipe the device.
Applying these key security measures will allow your business to remain safe, minimizing data leak risks.
By Jason Phillips and Conosco.com!
