Keeping data secure from cybercriminals can be challenging. The volume of sensitive information stored digitally continues to grow at an alarming rate, making it an irresistible target for cybercriminals and malicious code. As a result, many companies have experienced unfortunate data breaches which have put user privacy and trust at risk.
Cyber-attacks are becoming ever more frequent, and have the capacity to destroy your business or even bring legal consequences and fines. Not enough businesses are doing all they should to protect their data; it’s estimated 43% of cyber-attacks are aimed at small and medium-sized businesses, but only 14% are prepared.
So what can you do to increase your data protection? Let’s look at five robust strategies and technologies to increase your cybersecurity.
1. Data Encryption
Encryption is the process of converting information into a code which can only be deciphered with the right key. Data encryption is an important security measure to protect your confidential data from unwanted access. Data without encryption is compromised more often; a recent report found 7 million unencrypted data records are compromised every day.
Data encryption can be used to secure data in transit, at rest, and in use. Encryption can be achieved using a variety of technologies including hardware-based encryption such as disk-encryption appliances, software-based encryption such as password-protected ZIP files, or a combination of both. Encryption can be used for file storage, email storage, database management and other applications. For example, one way of protecting data in an email system is to encrypt each message before it is sent to the recipient.
2. Data Risk Management
Data risk management is a strategy designed to identify where your sensitive data is stored, and determine how vulnerable your systems are to cybercriminals. The goal of data risk management is to ensure your data is reliable, secure, and accurate. By implementing data risk management controls, you can reduce the likelihood of integrity violations, loss events, and corruption.
This strategy involves taking a number of steps to minimize the potential for errors, including collecting data from multiple sources and regularly auditing your systems to ensure they’re working properly.
Some key questions to consider include:
- What are the most important data assets?
- How are they protected?
- What are the most likely risks to them?
- How can we mitigate those risks?
3. Data Loss Prevention
Data loss prevention (DLP) refers to a wide range of data protection strategies designed to prevent sensitive data from being improperly accessed or shared. It can be used to identify and block the exchange of sensitive data, such as financial records or patient care, to prevent it from ending up in the wrong hands.
Losing data prevents organizations from being able to maintain compliance with all relevant regulations and best practices, which can lead to fines, reputational damage, and lost business.
DLP can also be used to identify when sensitive data is being sent over email and other public channels. This technology can be used to prevent sensitive data from being sent to the wrong person or being sent without encryption, which could put it at risk.
Data loss prevention is something you should consider implementing as soon as possible, to ensure your organization is protected from the loss of sensitive data.
4. Data Backup and Disaster Recovery
Disasters can happen at any time, and if your company is not prepared for such an event, it could result in significant loss or damage to your assets.
To ensure you are prepared for any disaster, you should have a disaster recovery plan in place. This plan should include details such as backup procedures, data storage locations and how often your systems should be updated.
Data backups are copies of your sensitive data created in real time and stored on a remote server. Backups allow you to restore data which has been accidentally deleted or corrupted. You can use data backups in conjunction with data encryption to protect your sensitive data.
Unfortunately, not all businesses implement data backup strategies. Only 41% of companies are backing up their data daily, while 10% do not backup at all. In the event of an unexpected disaster, this could mean months of data loss with no possible recovery.
5. Data Access Controls
Data access controls have a wide range of uses, including controlling who can access sensitive data, what they can do with it, and when they can do it. This technology can be used to limit or monitor access to certain data, ensuring only authorized users can view or use it.
It can also be used to grant read-only access to certain data and full access to select people or groups. If implemented correctly, access controls can be used to protect data from cybercriminals by preventing unauthorized access.
Get the right protection for your critical data
Data is a critical resource for businesses which want to thrive. However, it is important to protect your data from cybercriminals. If your data is hacked, you could be at risk of experiencing a data breach.
The cybersecurity specialists at BCS365 will provide end-to-end security measures, technologies, and management to keep your critical data and digital assets secure. Talk to them today about your business needs and reduce the risk of falling victim to cybercrime.