Data Protection Security: What You Need to Know Now

Worried about your data? You probably should be. The need for cybersecurity is exploding fast, and some estimates suggest cyber crime damage costs will hit $6 trillion per year by 2021. Imagine, for a moment, what would happen to your company if a truly damaging hack took place? Data protection security has to be at the forefront of your mind, and taking these steps can help protect your company now.

Step 1: Evaluate your Physical Security – This is easily the most often overlooked aspect of data security because many organizations focus on hacking attacks. While hacking does often make the headlines more than physical security breaches, this type of protection cannot be overlooked. By performing a basic risk assessment of both your location and the hardware your employees use on a regular basis, you’ll learn more about what you can do to prevent problems. Often something as simple as ensuring your building has a low key appearance or limiting entry points can help keep things safe. Using stronger device security measures can also help.

Step 2: Know What to Protect – If you’re not familiar with how much data your company has and where it resides, a solid inventory should be your next step. Many companies store data in multiple media types from paper to disk-based backup systems to the cloud. Every technology you use needs its own type of protection, and it’s possible some data may need more extensive security. Creating policies about particular data sets will help your company immensely. You may even want to limit access of some parties to certain kinds of data to help limit vulnerabilities in certain settings.

Step 3: Update Your Network Security – Implementing simple solutions like a firewall and antivirus software only works if you update them on a regular basis. Make certain you maintain your current security protocols and that you’re using the latest version of any software necessary to protect what you use on a daily basis. Your IT team should make updates of absolutely everything a high priority, as security patches of various software solutions are released on a regular basis.

Step 4: Talk To Your Cloud Provider – If you haven’t already had a long chat with your cloud provider about their own security protocols, it’s time to do so. Data protection security in the cloud is partially your cloud provider’s responsibility and partially yours. You must understand what your role is as well as what they’re doing to keep you safe. Cloud providers often even take things one step further, offering a wide array of options for customers, but it’s typically your responsibility to implement it within your own space.

Security risks are real, and they can mean thousands of dollars in fines and downtime to your company. Understanding how to address those risks means keeping your company and your customers safe. Learn more about how to put an end to your risk when you chat with a cloud provider now.