Data is among the most valuable assets an business has and is utilized for everything from decision-making to marketing and sales. It’s important for businesses to take precautions to protect their information from hackers and other cyber attacks.
It doesn’t matter if you’re a large company or a new start-up on the block, a data breach can result in devastating consequences. Customers could lose their business who don’t feel secure sharing their personal data with you. Small business owners too can safeguard their data with the proper security.
Make an inventory of all the data assets that you have in your organization and their locations. This will aid in determining any preventative measures you take.
It is crucial to classify information in accordance with its sensitivity. This will help you decide whether the data should be secured with the best level of security, which may include encryption at all times. The classification process is always changing and must be reviewed regularly whenever information is updated or modified. This will ensure that any modifications are made according to the most recent classifications.
Data protection at rest, i.e. when it is stored on your system, is equally important as data protection in motion. Ideally, your company will be able track all access to critical data from any device at any moment. This will help limit the risk of human error, which Verizon’s 2022 DBIR discovered was the root cause of 82 percent of data breaches.
