September 24, 2015
IT security is one of the biggest challenges faced by every organization. Considering the different malware and networking threats discovered frequently, the impact of a feeble security policy can be disastrous. Hence, data security should be your company’s top priority, specifically if your business activities involve storing sensitive customer details.
Here are some practical tips that can help to improve IT security in your organization:
- Establish A Definite Plan: Chalk out a well-defined plan stating the actions that should be taken to evade a data breach. This should include terms and policies regarding which data can or cannot be accessed by the employees. The rules mentioned in the plan should be strictly followed by each and every individual who is a part of the organization. Also, the security policies must be reviewed and updated from time to time.
- Educate Your Employees: Let your employees know about the potential security risks and the best practices to mitigate them. They should be educated about creating strong passwords, handling spam emails, maintaining data backup etc. Also, there should be a dedicated IT staff that they can turn to in case of any doubts or concerns.
- Set A Data Storage Policy: You should also implement a data storage policy in the organization. It should have a clear mention of the data that should be stored or deleted from their devices. Keeping files with certain extensions can also increase the risk for a security breach.
- Ensure Encryption: If you need to store any sensitive customer data such as names, passwords, credit card details, email addresses, bank account numbers etc., make sure they are properly encrypted. Only a limited number of employees should have access to the computers containing this information. You can also consider using two-factor authentication for added protection.
- Avoid BYOD Culture: With a rise in the work from home culture, the data security risks have also increased manifold. The personal devices used by the employees may not be compliant with your company’s security plan. This provides hackers an easy pathway to gain access to your organization’s confidential data. To prevent this, do not allow employees to use their own devices as long as they are made to comply with the company’s policies. Connecting portable networking devices with the office computers should also be restricted to prevent a malware breach.
We, at Centex Technologies, provide complete IT security solutions to businesses across Central Texas. For more information, you can call us at (855) 375 – 9654.