29 Jan 10 Tips to Protecting Your Data Privacy
Happy Data Privacy Day 2020! We are sharing 10 tips to protect your data privacy.
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Keep Your Network Up to Date
Network updates not only provide functionality but are critical to your network security. If you are not patching your system regularly, you are putting your data privacy at serious risk. This also includes upgrading hardware, when devices go end of life.
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Encrypt Your Data
Using data encryption helps add another layer of security to protect your data privacy from a hacker that might have entered your network. You should also consider, encrypting your data before copying to a USB storage or external hard drive. In case the devices become stolen or lost.
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Use Antivirus Software
Using strong antivirus software will provide baseline protection for your network against common malware and attacks.
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Use Strong Password
Never reusing passwords or slightly modified passwords across different accounts. Once your password is comprised, then all of your accounts are compromised, because hackers will attempt to access your other accounts using the comprised password. Check out our guide for strong passwords here.
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Backup Your Data
Instant availability of data is an important aspect of any business. Backing up data allows you to be able to easily restore business activity and data with minimal lost. You should also consider minimizing the amount of data you have. This limits the amount of information that is available for an attacker to comprise. If you no longer need data, encrypt it, and move it to an offline storage device or just delete it altogether.
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Regularly Monitor Your Network
The best way to stay on top of your network is to monitor it. It is easy and affects the way to catch a breach early and prevent hackers from sitting on your network gathering information.
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Know Your Data
It is vital to understand what kind of data your organization has and its location. It’s important to have documentation of your data.
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Perform a Security Risk Assessments
It is vital to perform security risk assessments annually. A lot can change in a year when it comes to your network, so there is no better way to check in on your network than with a security risk assessment each year. Through this assessment, the organization’s current data privacy is examined to check if there are any vulnerabilities. This allows you to put in place solutions to fix any vulnerabilities and to mitigate any risk.
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Beware of Unsecure Wi-Fi Networks
Hackers and online thieves often use unprotected Wi-Fi networks to carry out hacks by stealing credentials. Always avoid using free Wi-Fi networks in high traffic public places like cafes, airports, and similar places. If you must use an unprotected Wi-Fi network, be sure that HTTPS is enabled for any sites you visit – a good habit for all online activity.
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Educate Employees
Users play a key role in protecting business data privacy. Most of the data losses and breaches are due to human errors. Phishing is the faster and easiest way for an attacker to trick an employee and to penetrate a network. It is important to educate your staff with security awareness training, so it can be your first line of defense.
Need help implementing these 10 tips for protecting your data privacy? Contact our experienced team members today!