Every day, companies handle an increasing amount of data that must be protected: information about their customers, employees and the company itself. This, of course, has certain dangers, especially at a time when computer attacks are so common. If you are looking for alternatives to protect your company’s data, here we tell you how to protect your company’s data, stay until the end!
Why is it important to protect your company’s data?
If you think about it, the chances of a catastrophe occurring in any office or on your company’s premises are remote. However, remote does not mean non-existent. In fact, because of the few security measures adopted in them, the loss or damage of information occurs more frequently than desired.
Fires, floods, or cyber-attacks are events that put at risk the company’s documentation and, along with it, thousands of files and customer data that the company may have in its custody.
Not to mention if you have physical documentation, in that case, in addition to fires and floods, you would have to worry about pests and rodents, which are not a minor problem for many companies. If that is your case, the first advice we want to give you is to digitize all that information as soon as possible.
When you take the reins of data protection for companies, in addition to taking advantage of any situation, workers and other owners are reassured.
In addition, it is worth mentioning that, more than a recommendation, data protection is mandatory and implies the implementation of mechanisms and solutions to ensure it.
New technologies have brought many advantages when it comes to sharing files in various formats and across multiple devices. And, although the advantages are great, there are also risks of which businessmen are increasingly aware, which implies the correct protection of information.
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What cyber threats should companies watch out for?
Companies are daily exposed to a large number of threats that they have to be ready to face. Here are some of them:
Extortion
This is one of the most common threats to which organizations are exposed. Over the years there have been many companies that have been extorted to avoid having their information leaked by hacker groups or given to competitors.
Data hijacking
More and more companies are facing the hijacking of their computers or information by viruses known as Ramsonware. To recover them, they are forced to make very high payments.
Data hijacking is one of the most real and difficult threats that companies are exposed to.
Leaks of sensitive information
No risk is minor; however, leaks of sensitive information represent a serious situation for many companies. A financial statement, employee database or banking data can be leaked and the damage to the company could be great.
Product information leaks
Imagine that your company managed to create a super-product that will make people’s lives better than ever before. Now, also imagine that a hacker leaks the technical data of that product, everything would be a disaster!
This type of threat is one of the most common threats a company faces and one of the most severe to combat.
Phishing
Almost all cyberattacks begin with a phishing campaign, which is a technique in which a cybercriminal sends an email pretending to be from a legitimate entity; for example, a bank or a public institution. Their main objective is to steal private information, make financial charges or infect the device.
Man In The Middle Attacks
With these attacks, cybercriminals are able to tap into the data traffic between a device and a server to steal the information being sent.
When we talk about a Man In The Middle attack we are referring to one of the most difficult attacks to detect and where sensitive and delicate information such as bank accounts, credit card numbers, login credentials, etc. is exposed.
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Best practices for data protection in your company
In this section we will tell you about the ways in which you can ensure the cybersecurity of your company:
Restricts access to information
There are a large number of recorded cases in which company employees themselves are responsible for important information being leaked. That is why it is so critical to control access to company information.
When an employee leaves, there is a risk of information being leaked out of spite or disagreement. In view of this, it is of great importance that you are wary of the information your company handles in the face of unreliable employees.
A viable solution is to create users to access the same information and passwords that are stored. Likewise, confidentiality agreements can also provide greater security and peace of mind for the organization’s owners and collaborators.
Store information in the right places
If you are one of those who still store all your information and that of your company in storage memories or hard disks, you must take good care of the security level of the hardware you use.
This is in order to prevent them from being damaged or vulnerable to the threats mentioned above.
Another tip is to make sure that all memory sticks and hard disks you use have some kind of encryption, so that only the people who access them know about it.
It is also important that these devices are kept under lock and key or in a private office to which not everyone has access.
Encrypt data in the cloud
A great alternative to store and protect your company’s data through digital solutions is cloud storage. This option also helps you save space and gives you the convenience of remotely accessing the files you have stored there.
Before choosing a cloud storage provider, we recommend that you check whether the system offers any type of encryption or protection against cybercriminals. Ideally, you should be able to add access passwords to further protect your data and prevent leaks.
In addition to storage, the cloud will allow you to have a backup of all the information you consider valuable (databases, computer information, business applications, etc.).
Use a VPN
Surfing the Internet involves many risks, especially when you cannot control the pages opened by your employees. For this reason, we recommend the use of an enterprise VPN that allows you to extend enterprise-level control and protection to your remote workers. In this way, you will be able to prevent information leaks in cyberspace.
The VPN will act as a sort of intermediary, since you and your workers will connect to its server at the same time that it connects to the Internet. This creates a shield that prevents hackers from hacking into the system, as well as providing greater privacy.
Use a good antivirus and firewall.
Another of the most effective ways to prevent hackers from hacking into your computer and stealing valuable information, especially through spyware, is to use antivirus software. This software has the ability to detect potential threats and stop them before they reach your computer and do their thing.
We recommend that you use Anti-Malware software that provides real-time protection to prevent this type of attack. The more powerful the antivirus or anti-malware functions are, the greater the protection that will guarantee the security of your company’s information.
We also recommend that you opt for a paid solution, since the free ones are usually limited. You can complement your defense with an antispyware -which detects spyware- and with antispam filters on corporate mail.
Don’t forget to update them whenever necessary, since they are much more vulnerable if they are outdated. Besides, this would not take you more than a few minutes.
Correctly deletes files
You need to ensure that your information does not fall into the wrong hands, even after you have deleted it. It is recommended that you carry out a thorough deletion process, which means that you must delete 100% of the files so that there is no option of recovering the information in them.
There are programs that help you delete 100% of the files, ensuring that obsolete information cannot be used again in the future.
Use strong passwords
Many of the solutions we have mentioned above require a password. Using simple passwords is almost an invitation to be hacked.
For that reason, it is advisable that you combine lowercase, uppercase, numbers and symbols to increase the difficulty of the password. And, although it may seem obvious, do not reveal it to anyone or leave it written on a post-it in plain sight.
Changing them from time to time is also a good way to prevent security attacks.
In closing, ensuring data protection for companies and IT security has become a responsibility that cannot be left to chance, as it must always be taken into account.
To improve data protection in companies, it is essential to start by being aware of the dangers to which it is exposed and to work on raising awareness among users and employees themselves, who are sometimes the cause of some of the organization’s cybersecurity breaches.
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The future of your company is in your hands. Protect your company’s confidential information and data and find out how you can protect yourself from cyber-attacks. Consult our catalog of digital solutions in Gestion Direct and clarify your doubts through our email gestiondirect@gd.eu.
