#WOCinTech Chat
In business, it is often hard to determine what is really most important. However, there are certain things which are always going to be near the top of the list. What’s more, it is a list which is changing every year as the times progress. Today, one of your main concerns is going to be looking after your data. Data management is now so central to running a business that many companies hire an individual to do just that as a full-time position. However, you don’t necessarily need to go that far in order to keep your business’ data safe. All you need to do is follow a few basic guidelines – and if you need help for them, then you might want to consider outsourcing your security for the time being.
This is probably the most important aspect of all. After all, there is only a certain amount you can do to keep people out of your system; at the end of the day, you need a way to protect your data even if people do get in without your permission. Encryption is the be-all and end-all of data protection, because it disables anyone without the correct decipher code to actually be able to read the information. This means that your business plans, your personal information, the privacy data of your clients and customers – all of it might be obtained, but will be ultimately worthless to the criminal getting hold of it. And that is definitely better than not encrypting your data at all.
Of course, if you can stop people getting in in the first place, so much the better. A firewall is a basic place to start in regards to this, as it stops people from being able to get into your system quite so easily. A good hacker might still be able to do it after some time, but it will at least be much more difficult, and take them a longer time. And as long as it takes them longer, it is likely that they will be traced more easily, meaning that they won’t be anonymous for too long. Install a firewall, and you delay any criminal activity that might be targeting your business’ data.
Chances are, you go out of your way to back up your own personal files, particularly at home. But do you extend the same to your business data? For whatever reason, many business owners fail to back up their professional data, meaning that if it is lost then they could be in some serious trouble. Even though the hard drive data recovery cost can be relatively low, it is arguably better to avoid the loss in the first place, so make sure you always back up your professional files.
Finally, it is important to remember the actual physical premises themselves too. These are all too often completely overlooked, and it means that businesses everywhere fail to properly look after their data, despite having the other measures in place. Make sure you don’t fall into this trap, this basic error, and your data should be in a much safer condition.