Nibletz Staff
In a competitive global economy, nothing is more important than protecting your company’s assets and information. We are living in a data driven world, where every gigabyte is as precious as a brick of gold. Cyber-attacks and corporate espionage aren’t just the premises of bad 80’s movies—they’re a real threat to businesses all across the globe. Whether you are a company that specializes in foreign exports or a large law firm in LA county, the need for data security is unquestionable. These days anyone with enough free time, the know-how, and a wifi connection can potentially wreak havoc on your company’s databases and communication lines. Finding secure ways to share and exchange information has become a necessity in the modern business world.
Here are 5 easy steps to keep your business secure:
Step One: Build a Strong and Dependable IT Department.
Having a top notch IT sector within your company is an absolute must. This department is going to organize, maintain, and secure all of your data and communications. The IT department will be the technological backbone of your infrastructure. Implementing a secure network and network database will give you peace of mind when it comes to communication between employees and exchanging data between departments. Providing your IT department with the hardware and tools is equally as important as hiring quality professionals. Much like an artist is only as good as his tools, an IT department is only as good as its hardware. Spare no expenses when it comes to equipping your IT department with any equipment they might need.
Step Two: Set Up Secure Avenues of Communicate Outside the Company Network.
Security is difficult to maintain when exchanging data and information off of your company’s secure network. International communications can be especially difficult and finding methods to send secure data overseas can be daunting. Most IT departments within companies don’t have the manpower or resources to have a devoted sector for information interchange outside of the company network. This is where the use of third parties for international data exchange can be useful. If any of the documents are going to be translated or encrypted these third party services are especially convenient and economical. If and when there is a data breach many of these third parties can also provide litigation translation, making them an important asset in the world of data exchange.
Step Three: Use Data Encryption.
Data encryption has become a staple in the tech industry, so common that there are even applications for our phones to exchange encrypted text messages. Much like an extremely complex puzzle, the encrypted data can only be cracked by algorithms written by geniuses or the encryption key. Data encryption is not foolproof, and it’s always best to double up on security by using secure networks or drop points as well as data encryption.
Step Four: Perform Thorough Background Checks on Your Employees.
As mentioned, corporate espionage is a serious threat to companies that deal in technological innovations and private information. Even major law firms can be subjected to infiltration. Making sure that all of your employees have credible backgrounds with employment screening and references from respected and known employers is crucial. If HR fails to do a complete a thorough background check, it can be easy, especially for entry and low level employees, to slip through the cracks.
Step Five: Hack Your Own System
It might sound crazy to suggest hacking your own system, but trust me when I say this is one of the best ways to ensure that your systems and networks are secure. Whether you hire someone into a permanent position or hire a freelance penetration tester, having someone periodically attempt to break through your security measures is the best way to maintain and update security. A gifted white hat hacker or penetration tester can be the greatest possible asset to a company’s cyber security. As previously mentioned, doing a thorough background check on security specialists is of the utmost importance. These people will have access to all of your data and secure information. If you manage to hire a sophisticated and reliable white hat, make sure that your company is doing everything they can to keep them.
If you follow these five steps, maintaining your company’s security will be as easy as the click of a button.
