The frequency of cyberattacks hitting the news is rising, with hackers increasingly leaking or trading customer information in vast quantities. However, against any such threats, proactive measures can be taken to reduce the impact and safeguard your business’s good standing with your clientele.
Protecting your client’s data should be a paramount concern for your organization. Illustrated by the Equifax incident, even a minor mistake or oversight can inflict severe financial losses on your company and harm its reputation. Hence, your customers’ information security should be a primary focus. Outlined below are five strategies your organization can implement to enhance the protection of customer data:
Protect Your Devices
The modern professional is often on the move, necessitating customer data be readily accessible from anywhere to perform effectively. Frequently, this information is retrieved from office computers, mobile devices, and tablets. Public Wi-Fi can expose you to unsecured networks, making device data vulnerable to external parties. It’s advisable to limit public Wi-Fi use and favor secured password-protected networks.
If only public Wi-Fi is available, ensure your device has a Virtual Private Network (VPN) installed. VPNs, like Nord, convert public connections into private ones, using unique IP addresses to shield your data from potential hackers. Device security is the most straightforward method to safeguard your client information. If you haven’t taken steps to protect your devices, do so immediately.
Remember to also consider the latest Mobile Device Management (MDM) solutions to protect your devices to ensure unifrom security and updates across all devices.
Adhere to Laws Protecting Consumer Data
Businesses must comprehend the types of information they gather, the methods of its utilization, storage, and whether these methods comply with customer data protection laws. The standards for these regulations may differ across state and federal levels and among international bodies that enforce them. While navigating these legal intricacies can be challenging for companies, adherence is crucial to remain lawful.
Non-compliance could lead to fines and additional penalties for the company. Fisma compliance solutions can assist businesses in understanding and adhering to these regulations. Incorporate these legal considerations into your data protection plan.
Restrict Data Access
Not every individual at your workplace requires access to customer data. Sharing files is acceptable among a small team collaborating on a project, but a community manager doesn’t need the same level of access to client personal information as an account lead does.
By restricting data access, the risk of internal breaches decreases. Measures to control access can involve setting up password protections that vary by user authority (for example, restricting file access within a folder to only those authorized) and implementing two-factor authentication, which adds a layer of security for authorized users by mitigating the threat of password theft.
Upgrade Your Software
Computer systems and software are at a higher risk of attacks if they are not kept current with the latest software updates. These updates often contain bug fixes and improvements that help protect your computer from vulnerabilities and safeguard your customer data. The only time you should delay an update is if it’s known to have security risks; in such instances, waiting for a subsequent update is advisable.
Minimize the Collection of Customer Data
Every piece of personal information a business accumulates adds to the data pool that could be exposed to cybercriminals in a security incident. Limiting data collection to strictly what is necessary can reduce the severity of a breach’s impact.
If the information held by a company is minimal or perceived as not valuable, it might dissuade cyber attackers from targeting the organization’s records. To safeguard customer data effectively, the designated team should regularly conduct audits to scrutinize the gathered information and remove non-essential records.
Endnote
Every business dealing with customer data must prioritize customer data protection practices. Begin today by implementing the five effective data protection strategies we’ve outlined and acquaint yourself with the consumer protection act specific to your area. Doing so will position you ahead of cyber threats and ensure compliance with legal standards, helping you prevent expensive repercussions.
