6 Ways to Keep Your Data Private

Having a data breach is a nightmare for any business to experience. The repercussions of not keeping your company’s information secure can be costly, result in lost information, and damage the reputation of your business.

Data risks can come from a multitude of areas. Phishing emails, unsecure networks, and other threats to your information can show up at almost any time. Use these six tips to keep your data private and secure.

1. Securely store your physical documents
Cyber-attacks and threats are more common, but leaving out important and private information easily accessible in physical form could still be a risk. All documents with private information should be stored in a locked cabinet. You should only allow employees who are trusted and routinely need to use the documents access to these secure places. If you step away from your desk, you should secure any sensitive information. When it comes to disposing of your old documents, avoid throwing them in the garbage and always use a shredder.

2. Keep passwords safe and secret
Using a complex password may be difficult to remember at first but could save your data from being compromised. Don’t share your passwords with coworkers and be sure to update your passwords frequently. Weak passwords make a hacker’s efforts far easier to gain access to your sensitive data. Use a mixture of characters, numbers, and letters that can’t be easily guessed.

3. Beware of phishing scams
Always be aware of emails that ask for your personal information. Cyber criminals could target your employees by using similar email addresses or names of coworkers to appear as a trusted sender. Do not open, reply to, or send information to a sender that seems suspicious. If you’re not sure, call the sender directly to confirm the request, do not reply to the questionable email.

4. Use a secure wireless network
Hackers are everywhere and can take advantage of unsecure and public networks. You’ll want your employees working on a secure wireless network at all times. With many employees still working from home, you will want to make sure everyone knows to only connect to safe and secure WiFi networks.

5. Always transmit data over secure methods
For transferring sensitive data, it’s best to use a secure transmission method such as Secure FTP.  Sensitive data should never be sent in an unsecure email.  If data or sensitive information must be emailed, you should use email encryption options, such as the encryption available in Office 365, or a third-party encryption tool.

6. Use HITRUST Certified and HIPAA Compliant Private Cloud Hosting
What might be the most important tip of all is to be certain that your business data is stored in a secure private cloud. Using a private cloud means that you will have more control over your data and environment. Data security is of the utmost importance at SmartBase Solutions. We’re HITRUST Certified and HIPAA compliant, and your environment is protected by enterprise-level security solutions and a dedicated team of experts.

SmartBase Solutions Can Protect Your Data!

SmartBase Solutions is here to provide you secure data solutions! We are here to support your business needs while protecting your data. Give us a call at 612.767.9940 or contact us today to learn more about any of our solutions.