Tips: Ensure Data Safety
With employees increasingly carrying company data on mobile devices, it's time to start taking data protection seriously. Aston Fallen, CEO of security and encryption software specialist Steganos, looks at why it's important and offers seven practical tips.
Every day thousands of businesses, which carefully protect their data within their office walls, put critical business data at risk as it literally walks out of their offices on laptop computers, USB keys and PDAs -- unencrypted and unprotected. The good news is that there are some basic steps that your company can take to protect itself from data security compromises.
1. Consider the value of company data and the problems a security breach could cause. Often times contact information and proprietary data are stored with easily cracked passwords. Encrypt all your sensitive files.
2. Examine the type of data that each employee can access and reinforce the permission policies, ensuring that confidential projects are only available to the correct personnel.
3. Encrypt any and all information that's mobile. Use a reliable brand which has user friendly software making encryption easy to understand and use. Even if a laptop, USB key, or PDA is stolen the data will remain secure.
4. Review your business insurance and check which devices it covers. New mobile devices can be overlooked.
5. Secure your office space taking into account how the building can be accessed and by whom. Are there shared office areas? Make sure employees never leave laptops in these spaces unattended.
6. Re-evaluate the policies for mobile employees and those who work from home. Have employees sign a formal data security policy making them responsible for protecting company information. Enforce rules and specify, in writing, how employees should store their laptops and USB keys.
7. Dispose of old PCs, laptops and other devices in an appropriate manner. Irrevocably destroy all data so the next users cannot recover your confidential business data.