SpartanTec, Inc. Columbia: How To Protect Data By Training Your Employees

The Verizon Data Breach Investigations Report revealed that data breaches coming from businesses like those due to human error are on the rise. These breaches could be expensive as well as stressful. Company owners, on the other hand, could set in place polices and procedures that will lower the possibility of internal breaches. When making a set of best practices for your company so you can protect sensitive information, think of using this brief checklist as your guide.

Data Security Tips

For Newly Hired Employees

Before you hire an employee who will be given access to sensitive data, you need to carefully check their references or/and conduct a background check. As a condition for new hires, they need to sign an agreement that says that they would follow your company’s data security and confidentiality standards.

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For Existing Employees

Monitor which employees have access to personally getting information such as Social Security numbers. This kind of sensitive information, it is good to restrict access to staff on a need-to-know basis. Find a locked cabinet or room where you store sensitive files and be sure to restrict employee access. Be sure that the cabinets are locked unless someone needs to work on a file. In case you have an off storage facility, restrict access and monitor employees who use the facility. Create a culture of security in your company and be sure that your staff will use common sense precautions such as never granting access to people they don’t know, never leaving behind papers with sensitive details on their desks and to always log out of their computers as well as to report any suspicious activity or incident.

Always remind your staff that all work related devices like mobile phones and laptops must be protected wit passwords that are difficult to crack and strong. Your staff must never send any sensitive information through an unencrypted email. They must also go through Employee training Columbia SC.

For Everybody

Set clear regulations regarding what software might be used and downloaded on a company equipment. A few software can make your unit vulnerable to malware attacks. Think about blocking your staff from downloading software that is unsupported. Train your employees to identify the indications of phishing as well as social engineering attacks. Verifying phone calls as well as emails that are requesting sensitive details should be one of your office policies. Keep a schedule of regular staff trainings on each of these problems. These will help refresh what they know and make sure that they are updated regarding the latest vulnerabilities and risks. Create a reward system for all those who inform you of vulnerabilities and be sure to impose disciplinary measures if they violate your security policies. In case your employees move on and leave your company, don’t forget to terminate their access to all of your computers, physical files, databases, and other sources of sensitive information. You should also set up a data recovery plan set in place.