Company Management Tips: How To Achieve Security Across The Board

Security is a crucial component for any company to have, whether it be small or large. It’s important not only because you want your data and systems safe from being hacked, but also because you don’t want to scare off potential customers with a lack of security. This article will go over some ways to help you achieve security across the board and maintain control of all aspects of your company.

Is Data Security Important?

Data security is paramount for any organization. Losing data can lead to a significant financial loss, and it could compromise the security of other information in your network. Data is also vulnerable when transferred over networks such as the internet or through devices like USB sticks or external hard drives that are not encrypted.

Focusing on securing sensitive data means implementing strong access controls for those files, limiting exposure to hackers by encrypting all traffic between systems. As stated at https://www.securetrust.com/payment-card-industry-compliance, it’s crucial to comply with regulations like PCI DSS (Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard) specific standards for cardholder data protection. PCI DSS mandates that only authorized personnel can access cardholder data to perform their jobs.

The following are six-four tips you should follow when securing sensitive data across the board;

1. Conduct security risk assessments

Implementing risk assessments across the organization can help identify which systems are most in need of cybersecurity. This is important because it becomes much easier for an organization to secure its systems by knowing where the threats are and how to address them.

Finally, security assessments will help identify vulnerabilities in your system that you may not have known existed. This can also be of great value as it helps prevent a hacker from exploiting this vulnerability before you even know there’s a problem.

A risk assessment should be conducted annually or when changes occur within the company, increasing risks such as new acquisitions or mergers with other companies. This will ensure all loopholes are found and addressed quickly, not to become more significant issues down the line.

2. Implement a training program for your employees that includes information on best practices and procedures

Training your employees on best practices and procedures can help ensure that your company follows the law.

Training programs should include handling data breaches, cyber-attacks, security incidents, and other threats to company operations.

Feedback from the trainers will enable employees to identify areas where they need additional training or violate policies.

Employees who are trained and alerted about potential dangers have a better chance of preventing them before it’s too late. It also helps when an employee knows what these events look like, so they know if something does happen within their area of responsibility.

In addition, companies that train all staff members (including executives) on security issues report fewer data losses than those without such programs.

3. Establish a security policy

Implementing policies across the board is very important. This will help make sure that everyone is aware of the rules and regulations for protecting themselves from outside threats and keeping information private within the company walls.

A security policy can include things like:

• Encrypting all data on devices;
• Using strong passwords in combination with different types of authentication factors (i.e., a password plus two other means) when logging into accounts or accessing sensitive systems or files;
• Limiting access to only those employees who require it, based upon their job function and responsibilities; and more. By implementing these sorts of policies across your organization, you can ensure that each employee has some degree of protection even if they’re not actively doing anything to protect themselves.
• A good security policy will also include some plans for when a breach occurs and how your employees are notified of that breach. This is to take the necessary precautions to keep their data safe until you have addressed the issue.

4. Encrypt sensitive data, including email messages or voice communications 

Sending and receiving of data should be encrypted at all times. This includes email messages and voice communications. Encrypting data will protect against any potential eavesdroppers who may intercept the message or conversation in transit from your network or public networks like Wi-Fi hotspots.

Encrypting data is easy to do with free encryption tools on the market, such as Google’s Chrome browser extension. Encryption can be applied at all stages of a company’s data operations, and in many cases, it will only require minimal changes to existing processes or workflows. 

Data security is essential for any company and should be a significant consideration when determining the best practices or procedures to implement. Safeguarding your clients’ sensitive data with encryption will help you avoid costly fines, penalties, lawsuits, or even worse – being hacked!