Online Threat Alerts (OTA)
An anti-cybercrime community alerting the public.

The Importance of Cyber Security for Your Business’s Data

If you run a business, then you need to take great care to make sure that it’s as secure as possible. The internet is a dangerous place, and all businesses today have some kind of presence there. If you do not safeguard your business against cybercriminals, then you could end up having very important information (i.e., your customer’s personal data and financial information) stolen. The theft of data is becoming very common online today, so protecting against it is crucial. But how do you protect your business’s data? This post will answer that question, so you know what to do moving forward:

Managed Services

If you are concerned about your business’s data, then you could consider hiring a cyber security company to manage it for you. According to the data experts from https://www.gasystems.com.au/, a cyber security company will be able to protect your business’s digital assets and protect from cyber threats. One of the main advantages of using a cyber security company to protect your company is that you don’t have to worry about doing it yourself. Cyber security is a full-time job. There’s little to no chance that in addition to running your business that you will be able to effectively manage your own cyber security. Additionally, cyber security companies employ extremely talented staff, so you will also benefit from their knowledge.

Data Access

If you don’t want to hire a cyber security company, then one of the first things that you need to do is to restrict data access in your company. Many companies don’t restrict their data and because of this, staff of any level is able to access sensitive and important information that should only be seen by the company’s management. The best way to restrict data access is to use specially-designed software to store data, then only give certain people access to it. You should also limit the amount of access to devices used by high-level staff that new employees have. Data breaches often occur from within, so by limiting data access you prevent that from happening.

Password Protection

Data breaches also often occur because people don’t protect their passwords. The passwords to your business’s devices and accounts need to be protected so that nobody can access them. The best way to protect them is to select passwords that aren’t easily guessable and store them in a way that prevents other people from being able to find them. Don’t store passwords in notes on your device; storing passwords in notes on your device is one of the worst things that you can do because if your device gets hacked they can be taken.

Anti-malware Software

If you regularly use computers or laptops as part of your business’s daily activities, then you need to make sure that you download and use anti-malware software. Malware is the most common type of virus that people are affected by. Anti-malware software, as you might have guessed from its name, is a type of software that prevents malware from being able to infect your device. Anti-malware software doesn’t just protect against malware however, it also protects against other viruses, like ransomware. Some ant-malware software can be downloaded for free, although this is usually only on a trial basis.

Device Security

Be very careful where you use any devices connected to your business. It’s also very important that you don’t use public Wi-Fi networks without being connected to a VPN. It is very common for cybercriminals to hack into public Wi-Fi networks, and then steal all of the data that’s transmitted using them. VPNs (virtual private networks) safeguard against data theft by hiding your IP address, masking your location, and making you invisible. In addition to preventing cybercriminals from being able to steal your personal information, VPNs also prevent your ISP from being able to track you, allow you to access regionally-locked content, and can even increase your device’s internet speed.

Regular Back-ups

Data theft and hacking aren’t the only things that you should worry about. A big problem for many businesses is accidental data loss. If you lose your customer’s personal information because it isn’t stored properly, then you can get into just as much trouble as if it had been hacked or stolen. Not only can you get into trouble, but you can also lose all connection to your customers, which could be a devastating blow to your business. Make sure to store all of your customer’s data using Cloud software and perform regular back-ups.

If you don’t protect your data, then it could be lost or stolen. Either of these things happening could be very bad for your business. You need to make sure that you protect all of your business’s data, for your and your customer’s sake.

Check the comment section for additional information, or share what you know or ask a question about this article, by clicking the 'View or Write Comment' button below.

Note: Some of the information in samples on this website may have been impersonated or spoofed.

Share this article with others.
Write / View Comments (0)
View on Online Threat Alerts (OTA)
Help Maintain Online Threat Alerts (OTA)