6 Ways To Protect Your Digital Information

Your small business has digital information that you want to protect. It may be your plans for the future, your customer data, your financials or a host of other types of sensitive data. No matter what you need to secure, it takes some smart security measures to ensure that it will be protected. The following are some smart cybersecurity steps to ensure you never lose your data.

Be Smart About Access

Business data should typically be shared on a “need to know” basis. Not everyone in your organization needs to have access to your customers’ payment information, for example. Overextending access can make your systems more vulnerable to attack. Carefully managed access can prevent a minor security breach from becoming a major catastrophe.

By the same token, it can also be a good idea to check your security permissions for any vulnerabilities to anonymous users. For example, if you have an FTP server, you may be allowing people to connect to it anonymously. This is, unsurprisingly, a major potential security flaw.

Make Back-Ups

Don’t let your data be stored in a single place. Backing up information can help protect you against ransomware and other malicious attacks. It can also offer some defense against natural disasters and other random losses of data.

The best backup plans should be distributed and regular. Have some on-site backups onto separate drives. Additionally, create a cloud backup that will store your data off-site as well. This redundancy will help to ensure that you aren’t vulnerable at a single point of access. Additionally, make sure that you backup your data regularly. It won’t help you much if your last backup was a year ago.

Leverage Cloud Security

The public cloud has brought the power of enterprise computing to individuals and small businesses. However, it can also be a security vulnerability. Make sure you are using the best AWS security. For example, if you are using Amazon’s solution getting some outside, experienced help can be very valuable.

Many public cloud providers offer some great security tools. However, they are not necessarily comprehensive. Additionally, you need to have those tools configured correctly. Getting this right can help you take advantage of the cloud with less risk.

Be Cautious With Emails

Emails are a common vector for attack. You may receive an email that appears to be legitimate but is actually phishing for your information. Everyone is familiar with some of the more obvious scam and phishing email styles. However, remember that hackers aren’t stupid. They can be significantly more subtle when they want to be. Avoid opening email links unless you are certain of the source. Be smart about how you interact with messages that have come to you.

Keep Systems Up To Date

Operating system providers spend a lot of time making sure that their products are as secure as possible. They will release updates regularly to help defend you and other users from the latest types of hacking and cyberattacks.

Be consistent with updating your systems. This is especially important with security hotfixes that may come immediately after major patches. If you update regularly, you should be well-positioned to avoid security vulnerabilities.

Avoid Inactive Accounts

Don’t keep your inactive accounts open. If you stop using a service, delete the account. These are nothing but security risks. They can be an easy vector for a hacker getting your login information. They can also be a way for someone to access your payment details. There is no benefit to keeping old accounts open. However, there are a lot of potential drawbacks. The smart thing to do is to close any accounts you are no longer actively using.

These security tips will help you to protect your business’ data online. Between being cautious and backing up information, you should be in good shape to ensure the continued security of your data.