Five Steps To Secure Data 

Written by Phil Brining

Five Steps To Secure Data 

Businesses can take five relatively simple steps to improve their data protection and ensure they give consumers confidence and the right experience.

Data protection has been in the spotlight for the last few years as more and more cases of theft and security breaches occur. A recent study by Symantec found that consumers in the UK lack confidence in data protection, and believe that both businesses and the Government fail to do enough to protect them. One-third of the people they polled even reported that they had intentionally used the wrong details because they feared using the right ones. The most important figure is that 89% of them said that security is a driver for what sites they chose to shop on.

Businesses can take five relatively simple steps to improve their data protection and ensure they give consumers confidence and the right experience.

Step 1

The first step is to actually understand where data is stored. Some businesses use a range of different mediums to store information but the more of these you have the more risks you face. You’ll need a specific plan for each type of storage you use. Keeping this number to a minimum will help to reduce the potential for issues.

Step 2

Next, you should put a need-to-know policy in place. By limiting access you cut down on the number of people that are involved and the potential for errors. Access should be limited to people you trust and you should have systems in place to log who accesses what and from where.

Step 3

The security of your network is very important, particularly when you consider that malware is changing daily and thieves are getting more and more sophisticated. You’ll certainly have a firewall and other protection in place but you need to make sure they are up to date and performing properly. The security coverage should also extend to mobile devices if you allow people to connect to your network with them.

Step 4

A data management plan is essential and will help you to keep on top of records. You’ll need to have an idea of which details you must protect and how long you want to save them for. You should look at the vulnerabilities of your system and make sure these are the areas that you invest in protection. As well as electronic records consider paper ones and handle them securely. You must also account for the safe disposal of information.

Step 5

The final thing to do is perhaps the most important; you need to educate everybody to make sure they understand the risks and their obligations. You can build a security culture where everybody takes steps to protect data and keep it secure. You also need to ensure you account for periodic upgrades and training so you stay up to date. Contact our expert team if you are in need of any assistance with your data strategy. We have the knowledge and experience you need to provide complete information assurance.