Data security in a company. How to ensure it?
Cyberattacks are becoming an increasingly common problem for businesses. In 2021, their number increased by 50% compared to the previous year. A data…
Cyberattacks are becoming an increasingly common problem for businesses. In 2021, their number increased by 50% compared to the previous year. A data breach involving employees and customers can lead to reputational damage, legal issues, and financial losses. That is why it is essential to ensure data security in your company – read the article to find out how to do it.
Why is it important to ensure data security in a company?
Data is essential to the functioning of an organization. It is a valuable asset whose protection is important both from the entrepreneur’s perspective and from the perspective of employees, contractors, and customers. The development of the Internet has led companies to collect and generate increasing amounts of data, which can fall into the wrong hands and cause significant damage.
That is why particular attention should be paid to the security of company data. It is especially important to protect information concerning customers and business partners, as they have a direct impact on the company’s performance and finances. Employee records must also be properly protected. A data breach involving such information can result in significant financial losses, as the company may lose the trust of customers and job candidates. Moreover, inadequate protection of sensitive information can also result in substantial fines.
Which companies should take care of data security?
Small and medium-sized enterprises often limit their data security efforts to the bare minimum, as their priority is dynamic growth and maximizing profits. At the same time, their owners may mistakenly believe that hackers primarily target corporations and major market players.
Contrary to appearances, many hacker attacks are specifically aimed at micro and small-to-medium-sized enterprises – as many as 43%. The most common threats include weak passwords, phishing, ransomware, and malware.
Why are there so many attacks? It is primarily the result of low awareness and insufficient security measures. For example, on average, one in five employees uses simple passwords that are also reused across different services. Gaining access to an account is extremely easy for a hacker when the password is the popular “123456,” “qwerty,” or “111111.”
Small organizations are also vulnerable to ransomware attacks. As many as 71% of such attacks are directed at microenterprises. Such hacker activity can cost a single company more than $100,000 per year! Meanwhile, phishing, which involves impersonating another person or institution in order to obtain sensitive information, accounts for 90% of all threats faced by companies in the SME sector.
What to do in the event of a data breach?
Even the best security measures and the highest level of data protection cannot guarantee 100% security. For this reason, it is worth preparing a response procedure to follow in the event of an attack on the company’s data security.
First, you should determine exactly what happened. During the first 24 hours after the incident, you should establish whether the data was leaked as a result of internal sabotage, accidental actions, a software error, or an external hacker attack.
In such a situation, cooperation between the legal department, IT department, and the people responsible for the company’s PR is essential. Everyone must thoroughly analyze the situation, identify and secure evidence, and develop an appropriate course of action.
Moreover, in the event of a personal data breach involving employees or customers, it may be necessary to notify the President of the Personal Data Protection Office, as ignoring this step may result in serious legal consequences in the future.
Remember to keep proper documentation as well, as it is necessary to verify whether any gaps occurred during the process. This will facilitate any potential proceedings by the Personal Data Protection Office in the event of an audit.
How to protect yourself against hacker attacks?
There are many ways to protect against hacker attacks. However, scammers are constantly developing newer and more sophisticated methods that available security measures cannot always keep up with. Regular employee training and raising awareness of how to recognize threats and prevent them in time should therefore form the foundation of prevention. If you implement appropriate preventive measures in your company and ensure that all employees follow them, you can gain a significant advantage over cybercriminals.
Furthermore, it may be necessary to implement several layers of security, as specific tools should be adapted to the amount of data, the type of information, and the company’s individual characteristics. It is also important to regularly monitor threats and protect data in both digital and physical form.
A password manager can be a good solution, as it can generate a theoretically impossible-to-guess string of characters. It is also worth considering implementing two-factor authentication using an application, such as Google Authenticator, or a physical security key.
Outsourcing services – how to increase security in a company
In some, particularly smaller companies, BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) is a popular practice, meaning that employees use their own devices in exchange for compensation. However, this solution carries certain risks, making it necessary in such situations to employ a cybersecurity specialist. IT service outsourcing can also be a good solution and may have a positive impact on data security within a company. In this case, a provider with experience, proven procedures, and qualified specialists takes responsibility for ensuring security.
How to protect your company data? Summary
You now know why taking care of your company’s data security is so important. It is an important issue from both a reputational and financial perspective. For this reason, you should implement preventive measures in your organization, such as appropriate software, employee training, and following basic Internet security principles.
At Cloud4You, we offer a range of services designed to protect your company against cybercriminal attacks. One example is Backup as a Service or cloud backup. Meanwhile, an Email Archiving service provides excellent protection against data loss resulting from a breach.
Don’t wait any longer and don’t risk a hacker attack on your company. Contact us and ask how you can improve security in your company.
