Protecting company data and preventing data loss against cyber attacks is a multifaceted problem. On average, data breaches cost U.S. companies $8.64m in 2020.
So what are the best steps you can take to ensure your company’s protection against attacks?
The following 8 data security measures will ensure a level of protection for your business, your customers, and your bottom line.
1. Data Encryption
Converting data into an encoded, unreadable format prevents hackers from being able to read sensitive information. The data can only be decrypted using a decryption key or a password.
There are many types of encryption algorithms, techniques, and technologies for use in a multitude of situations. Compliance standards require some form of data encryption.
2. Data Loss Prevention
Backing up data to another location helps to protect against outages, natural disasters, or local cyber attacks.
The backups can be in a different physical location or on a cloud server, which ensures secure data.
3. Password Hygiene
Data security best practices for company employees prescribe the use of strong, regularly changed passwords.
Although enforcing this is a good step towards more secure IT, the use of multi-factor authentication is also recommended. Companies can accomplish this through devices, biometric security, or tokens.
4. Data Security Audits
3 or 4 times per year, companies should perform security audits to identify vulnerabilities in their IT security. Being able to classify and report weak points will help to prevent unauthorized access.
External auditing organizations are a good option as they bypass any bias an in-house auditor may have. Managed security service providers provide a wide array of security solutions to help protect your company from cybercrime, including cybersecurity audits.
5. Minimize Data Collection
The more sensitive data your company has, the higher the risk of a data breach.
Reviewing your data collection procedures and making sure you are not collecting any more sensitive information than you need will help to minimize the threat of attacks.
6. Purge Stale Data
Any data present on your company server is breachable. If there is any sensitive information that is out of date or remains unused, it is best to archive or destroy it.
The best data security measure you can apply to superfluous data in your system is to purge it, removing the risk of anyone accessing it altogether.
7. Email Security
End-to-end encryption solutions for communications containing sensitive information are essential.
Internal and external communications are vulnerable to attacks. making sure any and all correspondence is protected helps to close potential weak points in security.
8. Payment Security
Protecting online transactions, cardholder personal information, and payment information have the biggest potential impact on your company.
Some solutions offer encryption of cardholder data as it’s entered in a browser, and scale payment tokenization to provide cryptographic protection of all aspects of online transactions with your company.
Protect Your Company and Your Customers
Data security is the biggest consideration for any company that deals with sensitive information on any scale.
If some of these measures have yet to be considered in your company’s security posture, you can get in touch with our highly skilled IT solutions experts and take your company’s security to the next level.
Pegasus Technologies is the IT Team for organizations that don’t need a full-time IT department. Our technology experts build you a technology plan to keep your business running at its best. We have offices in Kennett Square, PA, Media, PA, and Wayne, PA to provide better computer support and IT services to you.
