Top 6 Simple Ways to Keep Your Company’s Data Safe
The incidents of data breaches are on the rise. With hackers constantly inventing new ways to attack companies, cyber security has become the biggest concern for businesses, especially small businesses.
Almost 60% of small businesses that suffer from data loss get shut down within six months. This is according to new information collected by Washington, DC-based research firm Clutch.
A recent report has also found that most successful attacks are not technically sophisticated. Instead, they just exploit common human errors.
Keeping this in mind, I have compiled a list of few simple security tips that can help you protect your valuable data.
Choose Long & Unique Password
Always remember that ‘Longer is Stronger’. Using longer & strong passwords and changing them frequently makes it difficult for cyber criminals to access data. Also make sure that you don’t share your password with anyone. Always try to choose something cryptic so that it becomes difficult to guess.
Some of the best practices for strong passwords include the following:
- Your password should not contain all or even part of your name.
- Make sure that it is at least 7 characters long.
- Ensure that your password contains characters from at least 2 of the following 4 categories: lower case letters, upper case letters, symbols as well as number.
Always Try to Use Two-factor Authentication
2FA or Two-factor authentication, which has been used since long to control access to sensitive systems as well as data, is another must. It provides an extra layer of security. It can serve as a backstop even if your password is stolen, making it harder for cyber criminals to gain access to your account.
Don’t Forget to Keep All Your Software Updated
Security professionals keep saying that keeping software updated all the time is one of the most important ways to protect data but still many users don’t always understand how important security patches as well as bug fixes can be. Updates also bring new and exciting features with it. Hence, keeping software updated it very important if you want to keep your data protected. If you are not updating your software on a regular basis, you are leaving yourself open to hackers.
Stay Away From Phishing Emails
Phishing emails are fake emails that are sent by scammers in order to trick you into giving out your personal information such as your bank account details, passwords as well as credit card numbers. These fake emails often appear as if they are coming from a reputed or trusted source, like your credit card company or other vendor. They generally include attachments or links that they ask you to download. Such suspicious emails should be immediately deleted without opening them.
Before opening an email, always make sure that:
- It has come from someone who has already sent you an email before.
- It has come from someone you personally know.
- It doesn’t look odd, having unusual characters or spellings
- It is something that you were expecting
Beware of Suspicious Texts & Phone Calls
Sometimes hackers may even text you or call you and ask for your 2FA authentication code, pretending that they are customer support representative. Such kinds of attacks can be very tricky to avoid as they are designed to seem like genuine security requests. You should beware of such suspicious texts and phone calls.
Always be Smarter with Your Devices
Whenever you leave your desk at the office, don’t forget to put your computer to sleep. If you are on the road, you can use privacy screens in order to discourage snoopers from reading your sensitive information.
You know very well how important your data is to your company. Even one small mistake of yours may put your company at risk and ruin your company’s reputation. Hence, follow these security steps and help protect your company’s data. After all, it is better to be safe than sorry.
Also, share these tips with others in your company to help them keep your company’s data safe. When employees are better informed about the nature of cyber security, they will be less likely to make mistakes.
To recover your important business data contact us for our data recovery services.