5 Golden Rules of Workplace Data Security

One of the most crucial elements that customers value above quality or price when it comes to signing up for business services, is trust. People need to know that the personal information they’re giving your company is confidential and remains so for the long run. Especially if you work in places like the bank, accounting firm and et cetera.

Here are 5 golden rules to stick to when it comes to ensuring workplace data security:

1. Regular backups

Make sure that all important data is regularly updated by scheduling dates for backups and storing information into an external hard drive. It can be performed on a weekly basis but if your line of business handles a large amount of confidential data every day, then perhaps some adjustment will have to be done.

2. File sharing

Sharing files through emails or collaboration networks like Dropbox or google drive can be convenient but employees have to be aware that third party programs are seldom secure since there is no limited access.

The safest option is to use data storage options like Dropbox and Google drive for information that can be shared with members of the public (example: Articles).

3. Secure mobile phones & laptops

Laptops and smart phones are convenient for travel purposes, which means that there’s already a risk of loss or thievery involved. Therefore, you need to take additional steps with them to prevent the situation from any possibilities of escalating further.

It is recommended to install encryption software in both the laptop and smart phone. In addition for smartphones, users can enable password protection, so that the smartphone will lock itself if not in use for an amount of time. Another good option for smartphones is remote wiping. In case of theft or loss, the smartphone can be completely wiped to prevent a loss of data.

4. Educate employees

Ensuring data security in the workplace requires the cooperation of everyone in your company- from upper management to employees. And education is the worst enemy to mistakes, preparation is your best ally. Help employees understand that every time they step away from their workstation, they run the risk of compromising data security by making that information easily accessible to anyone else around them. Cultivate the habit of signing out of data programs whenever they have to step away and setting up management programs that can automatically logging the user out after a period of time where they are inactive.

You can make sure that all of your employees or colleagues are in the know about what kind of data security to software to use, measures they can undertake on a daily basis and what information must be kept absolutely confidential. If everyone understands the gravity of the situation and knows what needs to be done in security areas, the risk of data security being compromised will definitely be greatly reduced.

5. Train and hire professional IT specialists

In this day and age, technology is like a double-bladed sword. If wielded correctly, it presents results. But if mishandled or leaked, the repercussions are just as deadly. So in order to combat the odds, you need IT specialists to manage online-security problems and risks.

IT specialists should be trained and capable of setting up a strong firewall to control internet traffic, installing antivirus/anti-malware software for additional protection, setting up multiple strong passwords that are hard for hackers to crack, regular changing of passwords every 90 days on average and updating computer operating systems regularly.

And there we have it, the 5 golden rules of ensuring workplace data security. There is no 100% guarantee that there will be no security breaches at the end of the day but by keeping constant vigilance, you can greatly reduce the amount of damage done, sometimes even prevent the breaching from happening too.

Internal data security policies should be continuously revised and enforced so that employees can keep an eye on the information that is being drawn from internal network and spot suspicions sighs straight away.