Consider for a moment the important documents and other items in your home and office. Are those items protected from theft and damage? Do you lock the doors and windows and make sure there aren’t any missing keys? The answer to this question is almost certainly yes. For business owners and homeowners, we protect our valuables as best we can. Now, consider how much sensitive information is on your computer, or on a virtual document on the web. How important are those documents, and how protected are they? In today’s world, digital information is perhaps the most important information of all, and it is often the information that businesses are least prepared to protect. According to a report by Verizon in 2013, there have been over 1.1 billion documents compromised, and over ¾ of those were by unauthorized individuals. Clearly, online documents are not always safe, but there are ways to secure your documents and protect them from prying eyes.
- Password Protection: Everyone who uses the internet has at least one password and knows some passwords are better than others. For example, some people may be able to use their neighbor’s wireless signal by guessing typical password combinations, such as the names of pets or children. To choose a strong password, avoid using names of pets, children or spouses. Don’t use common words spelled backward or sequences, such as 1,2,3,4,5. Never use personal information that others could easily guess, such as middle names or birthdays.
- Firewalls: Install firewalls to monitor information going in and out of your systems. Firewalls are a first line of defense against viruses or hackers.
- Antivirus Protection: Antivirus, anti-spyware, and anti-malware programs are used to detect and shut down internet viruses if they get past firewalls. They should also protect the virus from getting into your computer, but if a virus is detected, antivirus programs can still protect your computer by removing the virus.
- Encryption: If you have sensitive documents, it may be a good idea to password protect or encrypt those documents, so even if someone gains access to your files they will still have trouble opening and reading them.
- Secure your hardware: Make sure someone can’t use your personal computer to access files, as this will make stealing your documents much easier for would-be cyber criminals. If you have a laptop, make sure it is secure at all times.
- Back up your files: If documents are compromised, it is always wise to have back-ups either elsewhere on your server or in a cloud-based location. Many cases of missing or lost data can be blamed on more than theft. Often, they happen because files were not backed up or saved properly. If a system crashes and you don’t have copies of your data, that data is as good as gone.
- Keep your sensitive documents separate: If you are going to lose data, you do not want to lose all your secure data at once. Having different files stored on different computers, or restricting access to files based upon their location, are other ways to protect your valuable documents.
If you need a data security system in Columbus, Ohio, contact All Secured today!