Customer data refers to information gathered from people interacting with your business. And your company must safeguard consumer data while keeping the business safe. This is because consumers want to know their personal information is safe when they do business with you. On the other hand, You also risk churn if they don’t have complete confidence in you. Statistics indicate that approximately 45% of companies and businesses have had their customer data breached In the United States alone. This article highlights ways businesses can prevent customer data from getting breached or leaked.
- Reduce unnecessary data access
Not everyone in your organisation requires access to all of your data. And that is a good thing. When you grant more people access to your data, you open up more entry points for potential threats. As a result, try to restrict the number of individuals with access to specific information. As a tip, allow only authorised persons to reach customer data. This entails implementing admin privileges and a password protection system to prevent illegitimate staff members from seeing classified information.
2 Maintain the latest version of your data protection software
Experts advise against dismissing antivirus and malware protection pop-ups. If your system indicates a security update is available, install it quickly. However, ensure your organisation’s IT unit determines it’s not risky. Consider an antivirus tool, and assign ownership to your information management team. You can hire someone dedicated to checking for recent and latest software updates. This way, it will be easier for you and your staff members to get your software updates quickly done to avoid any unforeseen data breaches.
3. Set up a dedicated team
Take the initiative to recruit data professionals as they can ensure competence for your company. Chief security officers, data privacy specialists, and crisis managers work to keep your company’s data safe and secure. Furthermore, they can assist in swiftly and strategically mitigating a data breach. If you don’t have the finances for a full data team, appoint one person to oversee data regulation. They can still be in charge of protecting your company’s delicate data as well as tracking security compliance throughout the organisation. If you are a small business and can’t hire a dedicated cybersecurity team, you can work with third-party firms like Assure Technical.
4. Ensure consistent data security protocols
Make data security a priority for your company regarding standards for client service by developing and enforcing stringent security standards. Also, before bringing in new employees, ensure they understand your business’s data protection values. Providing your employees with additional data security and IT training is essential, so feel free to consider this.
5. Collect no more information than is necessary
Some of the world’s largest corporations are targeted by major cyber-attacks because they collect massive amounts of data. Therefore, you should avoid making the mistake of collecting more data than you need. Moreover, customers are already hesitant to provide excessive personal information. Determine and ask your customers for your must-have data. For example, if your business provides products digitally, do you need a delivery address? The fewer data you have to protect, the easier it is to prevent cybersecurity threats.
6. Back up your data regularly
Ransomware is a common tactic used by cybercriminals against online businesses and organisations. In these cases, corrupt individuals infiltrate a system and disable staff access. Organisations are asked to pay thousands or even millions of dollars in ransom to regain access and avoid leaking sensitive customer information. While backups do not solve the problem of data leakage, they can buy businesses some time while they work to resolve the issue. To help protect customer information, even if your network is breached, these data backups should always be secure and stored in a separate location.
7. Educate your workers on cybersecurity and data protection standards
Cybersecurity is more than just having the best software and firewalls. Your staff members serve as the front lines of your activities, and a split-second decision can mean the difference between safety and a multi-million dollar data breach. It is critical to provide regular cybersecurity training to your employees. Educating your team on the various types of cybercrime they may encounter can make them feel more comfortable operating online. Popular session topics include best practices for passwords, detecting phishing emails, and what to do during a suspected distributed denial of service attack.
Every business faces cybersecurity threats, making it essential to secure your customer data. And this is achievable with the right strategies. Hopefully, you’ll consider those listed above to achieve the desired outcome.
