It doesn’t matter if you a large or small business or if it is your personal account, a cloud data breach is not good. In the past few years, data breaches have made international headlines. Hacking personal and business data is becoming a new revenue stream for hackers and other corporate competitors..
However, there are ways people can prevent cloud data breaches. Below are some steps to implement in order to increase the security surrounding your data.
1.Train Employees
The first step for businesses is to train their employees on how to recognize when someone from the outside is attempted to breach the system. Regular updates on the latest scams or reminders on updating passwords are useful ways to nudge people in the right direction.
Building awareness via educational sessions or materials also drives the point home for most. By sharing frequent updates and news, employees will begin to understand why data security is an important priority for them.
Some companies have even brought in data security experts to answer employee questions or show how a business’s data is vulnerable.
All of these methods stress data security importance to employees, which in turn causes them to execute more caution when handling their data and daily correspondence.
2.Build a Fortress
A hacker cannot get personal or business data if it has been properly secured. One approach is to have a secondary backup for data. Even if it’s a USB drive with client data on it, having a backup ensures if a breach does occur, businesses still have access to data that was taken. If there is no backup, hackers can cause serious problems and blackmail people for much more money.
Another procedure that people use is to select authorization and accessibility. The fewer people who have access to data reduces the likelihood of a breach. Companies have gone so far as to keep cloud data servers in locked rooms that are only accessible via keycard or password. If that option is not available, limit the number of people who know the password in a company.
An easier step for all individuals to take is changing passwords frequently. Changing passwords every two to three months is a go-to practice for many businesses. It’s another opportunity as well to check for a potential weak area of security or to gather how many people access that data.
3.Have a Plan
We have to admit that despite our best efforts, a data breach can still occur at some point. Whether it be big or small, having a plan in place helps re-secure your network even faster.
Know how you will respond when a breach occurs. Do you know what people to contact in order to know what data was lost? Is there an expert that needs to come into asses the situation? Who will notify the clients if their data is lost or stolen?
Getting the right people in place quickly can reduce a hacker’s chance of stealing more data. These individuals can also track and record evidence of how the breach happened. That information is useful after the fact as a learning experience.
After the breach has been dealt with, gather your people together to explain how it happened. Tell them what steps were right and wrong when the event unfolded. Explain how to prevent the problem from happening again.
4.Keep Business and Personal Accounts Separate
Guard your data by keeping all accounts separate. Think about how easy it is for a hacker to jump from your personal data to business data on a device that you use.
Once a hacker has your personal data, they can easily make the jump into your company’s data, especially if you use similar passwords for each. Save yourself the worry by keeping business and personal accounts on separate devices with different passwords.
5.Hire an Expert
It sounds like a no-brainer, but even though it can cost more, hiring an expert is something for businesses to consider. By having a person on-staff who always monitors data reduces the risk of a breach.
This individual will also make sure only the right people have access to data. Additionally, they can educate other employees on how to recognize potential areas for a failure in security. Sharing know-how with other employees builds awareness within a company on preventing a breach.
If a company executes any of the tips above, they are on the right path to preventing a cloud data breach. Data is quickly becoming the new currency, and people must take the steps to securing it seriously.