Securing Your Assets: Five Data Loss Prevention Steps to Take

As we transfer more and more of our lives onto digital servers, there are new routines and practices we need to make a habit.

Your company likely keeps its important assets on drives or on a cloud system. There are huge benefits to keeping your data stored in this way. There are also drawbacks too: it can be much more vulnerable.

As data hacks at companies as huge as Facebook have shown us, data security is no laughing matter. It is essential that you take the proper steps to protect your and your customer’s data and information. Failure to do so is enough to potentially shut your business down.

Read on, and we will walk you through three data loss prevention tips you should employ.

1. Organize Your Data

If you want your data prevention to be efficient, the first thing you should do is work through the data you have. Not every file or bit of information will be sensitive.

Understanding what is and what is not will help you better to classify, organize, and protect the information that is sensitive.

With your data organized by level of sensitivity, you can ascribe different security policies to different groupings of data. It will make the whole system of protection that much easier to employ.

2. Ensure You’re Protected From Inside

Even if you have a great relationship with your employees, you should be wary of allowing them too much access. Many companies do not understand the risk that employees pose to data security.

A disgruntled or recently fired employee who retains access to important data can be a huge risk. Even in a less dramatic scenario, employees with access to files can accidentally leak or release information to other parties or to the public at large.

It is essential that you have a plan in place that details how employees access and work with available data. This plan needs to stay rigidly up to date and old employees are removed right away.

3. Do Not Rely On Point-In-Time Tech

Many companies use security tools that analyze files and threats at the point of entry to the computer. Upon download, or upon opening, these files are analyzed, and their risk level is assessed.

Today, hackers and malware are getting more advanced. A file that originally has appeared safe could change later on. It is key to have security tools that use real-time technology to look for threats.

That constant vigilance can be key to ensuring your data is safe around the clock.

Data Loss Prevention Strategies

There is little more valuable to your company than your data. If this data were to be stolen, leaked, or compromised, you could find yourself in serious trouble. That is why it is key to employ the data loss prevention strategies discussed above.

Need more help ensuring the security of your company’s data? Contact us anytime for assistance.

Sagacent Technologies offers technology management and support, including proactive/preventative maintenance, onsite and offsite data back-ups, network and security audits, mobility solutions, disaster planning and emergency business resumption services. The company serves clients of 10 to 150 employees within the Silicon Valley region.