Something that can be devastating for a business and the people that are involved in it is a data breach. This happens when confidential information falls into the hands of someone that it shouldn’t. This can be accidental but there are also thieves who will be on the lookout for confidential data, so that they can commit crimes such as identity theft.
In order to protect your business and your reputation it is important to take this seriously – here are some of the things that you can do to reduce your risk of a data breach…
Good Staff Training – Because the majority of breaches in confidentiality and data leaks are accidental, many of them can be prevented with good staff training. Ensuring that staff are all well versed in the confidentiality policy of the company, know what is and isn’t acceptable and what counts as confidential data is one of the best things that you can do to make sure that your data is protected correctly.
Protect against Cyber Crime – As more of us go paperless and of course experience the advantages of this, this also means that computers and laptops become an even more appealing target for thieves, and of course there are also threats involved with the internet that can result in data breaches and computer viruses that causes chaos for a business.
As well as having good software to protect against viruses, you also need to make sure that you have good passwords to protect confidential items that are on the computers and other electronic devices if they are lost or stolen.
Disposal of Confidential Waste – Sometimes you will need to dispose of confidential documents, whether they are in paper form or are on the hard drive of a computer. This must be done safely and securely so that the information is destroyed, as otherwise it runs the risk of falling into criminal hands where it may be used for identity theft. Get a professional like this confidential paper shredding Birmingham based company to destroy your confidential documents so that they cannot be stolen by criminals.
Have Good Business Insurance – Although this is not a preventative measure, having the right insurance can protect the business if there is a data breach. Cyber insurance and professional indemnity insurance cover this so speak to an insurance broker to cover your business in case this does happen.