Data loss - the obvious ways your business can avoid it

The top reasons cited for data loss from small businesses aren’t international hacking or grand scale cybercrime -  they are obvious, easily rectified things that would have been avoidable with a little advance attention to detail, proper training and a staff data security policy.

According to surveys, a staggering more than 78 per cent of organisations worldwide report that they have suffered from one or more data breaches in just the last two years. If you want to avoid your business being affected by careless data loss, you need to make sure that all employees - including you - are fully aware of the risks.

Surprisingly, one of the top reasons businesses lose data is that many employees (and their managers) still don’t understand the importance of not opening unexpected or suspicious attachments or clicking links embedded in spam emails. Other basic measures such as leaving systems unattended, visiting restricted websites and not changing passwords regularly also led to critical business data becoming at risk from data-stealing cybercriminals and malicious insiders.

It’s estimated that cyber criminals steal as much as US$1 billion a year from SMEs in the US and Europe. This is partly down to inadequate or poorly enforced data security policies, leaving companies at a risk of losing vital and sensitive data, as well as costing money through lost productivity, revenue and of course, if the breach becomes public, the business reputation too.

Working from home and being able to take work out of the office makes working life easier but can be a nightmare for data security. With an estimated 56 per cent of employees reporting that they either very frequently or frequently stored sensitive data on their laptops, smartphones, tablets, and other mobile devices, the chances of confidential information getting lost or into the wrong hands are very high. Protecting data on mobile devices can be as simple as encrypting it and/or password protecting it - it won’t stop the devices being lost but IT admin will be able to selectively remove sensitive encrypted data and the chances of someone using it maliciously are much smaller if it’s not possible to get straight into any files that may be sensitive.

Do you back up your data on a regular basis or just when you remember? Regular backups are a vitally important part of a good data security policy, so make it a regular daily, weekly or at least regular task. Automate it if possible so that it doesn’t get missed. Without an automated backup and recovery strategy in place, your business may well be devastated if the worst happens, and if you want to avoid unnecessary downtime, loss of revenue and more in the event of a serious incident, you need a contingency plan in place at all times.

Lastly - even if you have a top notch data security policy, it’s of no use unless you enforce it.

If you need advice on up to date data security procedures and policies that keep your sensitive data safe, or want to know more about staff training, contact me and I will be delighted to provide you with guidance and advice.