Data is a valuable asset that is utilized in everything from marketing to sales and making decisions. This is why it’s crucial for businesses to take the correct steps to keep their data safe from cyber-attacks, hackers and other threats.
A data breach can lead to disastrous consequences, regardless of whether you’re the biggest corporation or the latest start-up. It’s not just a matter of tarnishing your image, but you could lose customers who don’t trust that their personal information is secure with you. Fortunately, even small business owners can guard against data breaches with the right security measures.
Begin by making a complete list of your company’s data assets and where they are located. This will inform any preventative measures that you implement.
It’s important to classify data according to its level of sensitivity. This will allow you to decide if it is necessary to be secured in the most effective way and that would mean the encryption of your data continuously. Classification is a process that is constantly changing and should be continually reevaluated when information is altered or updated. This will ensure that any modifications are done in accordance with the most current classifications.
Data protection at rest, i.e. when it is stored on your system, is just as important as data security in motion. Ideally, your business should be able monitor every single access to important data from any device at any time. This will help limit risk from human error, which Verizon’s 2022 DBIR found was the reason for of 82% of data breaches.