Top tips to safeguard your data

In an age where data breaches and cyber-attacks are more common than we'd like, it's crucial for every company to ask itself: "Are we truly ready?"

The threats are increasing daily, with data breaches happening to even the most tech savvy companies. However, protecting your precious data isn't just about focusing on building a digital fortress; it's about creating a comprehensive strategy that covers all the bases.

So, let's jump into our top tips for data security because, in today's interconnected world, it's not a question of if, but when, your defenses will be put to the test.

Tip #1 - Control the entry points

This is the most important first step and means having the right tools and policies in place to protect your network and devices, such as firewalls, network monitoring, password policies, anti-virus, software updates, and data leakage prevention software. These are like a bank vault door, protecting your data from invaders.

Tip #2 - Ensure you govern your data

This is your second line of defense and ensures that if your walls are breached you still have other security measures in place. But, what does this mean?

• Identify where sensitive data lives – conduct a data audit to locate, classify, and document your sensitive data, folders or locations to ensure you know where it lives
• Define who sees what – once you know where your sensitive data lives, ensure that you identify who has access to it and review if this is correct or not. The more access to sensitive data people have the higher the risk exposure, so be critical and ask the tough questions
• Set the rules – agree rules on things such as access, how access will be requested and tracked, how data will be handled, stored ,and transferred transfer and protocols around sensitive data
• Education – as always, the most important element is your people, with most data breaches coming from human error, ensure that you have an ongoing training program for data security (emphasis on ongoing)

These tips seem common sense, but most companies focus only on ‘controlling entry points’ and often forget or lose track of data within the business as it is shared and used. Couple this with sporadic security training and we have a risky cocktail for any business.

So, as you embark on the path to protect your invaluable data, remember: the steps you take today will shape your resilience tomorrow.

----------------------------------------

Ready to upgrade your data security strategy?

Download our expert guide, Navigating Data Privacy. It's packed with advanced tips and strategies to protect your data in today's digital world.

‍Get your free copy now >>

‍