Some Tips on Keeping Companies Sensitive Information Secure

Every business, big or small, needs to keep its sensitive information secure. You just can’t let it get in the wrong hands, as it will prove to a huge setback. You, as a businessman, know that in order to gain a competitive advantage in the market, you need to have something unique. It could be a process, a product, or a technique. These are the things that give your business an edge over your competitors. However, if this sensitive information gets in the competitors’ hands, then they will know all of your secrets. They will copy your processes and techniques soon after, and then your business will not remain unique anymore. You will have lost your exclusivity which could prove to be extremely harmful. To save your sensitive information from getting into the wrong hands, you need to take some security precautions. There are plenty of those available, but the best solutions to keep information secure have been outlined below.

VPN

The first security measure that you can actually rely on is a VPN service. It is available quite easily on the web and serves as a great tool for securing critical information. Small and medium enterprises can’t spend too much amount on different security protocols, and that’s where VPNs come into play. They are cheap and one can get used to them quite easily. You don’t even have to download a ton of stuff either. You can just pick the best VPN service that piques your interest and go with it. VPNs come with multiple security protocols that keep your information secure from all kinds of attacks. Some VPNs come with one or two security protocols, which are good, but you need a VPN that can repel all kinds of online threats. And for that, you will need to get a VPN that offers multiple security layers. It’s not that hard to find them though. A simple Google search will find one for you. Usually, VPNs are marketed as tools that can keep your activity private or give you access to blocked content. However, they are capable of so much more and they are more than capable of keeping away the online threats.

Change BYOD Policy

Bring your own device (BYOD) policy is rampant in the current businesses but it is not safe at all. All the company related information is saved on a third-party device, which then leaves the premises, connects to lord knows how many other networks and if any one of them is malicious, you can lose all of your sensitive information. BYOD policy, on paper, does look great, but there is no long-term value to it. More importantly, it is the biggest security risk. You constantly share information with your employees and as mentioned before, that particular information can get hacked. You can make an office network as secure as possible, but there is very little you can do to a third-party system. You cannot enforce VPNs on them, you cannot monitor their activities, you cannot force them to not use a particular application, and so on. Basically, you have no control over anything that your employees do on their device. The device they bring is their own so you have no right to force anything on them. This lack of security almost always leads to leaking of company related information, which never ends well. If BYOD practice is indeed running in your company, then we would advise you to give it up instantly, as it can prove to be pretty dangerous from the security standpoint.

Encrypt All Files

Encrypt all data files. This goes without saying but even to this day, companies try to save themselves some money and cut corners when it comes to employing encryption. They take different ways of securing the data when encryption really is the best way to go. Encryption for all kinds of work related files is necessary. You never know when a hacker will strike and all of your information will be out in the open. Instead of waiting for that day, it’s better to implement encryption beforehand. This way, you will be able to relax and after seeing how secure your business practices are, more clients would be willing to deal with you. Out of all security measures, this is the safest option. Even if the hacker is able to get into your network, they won’t be able to access any file because all of it would be encrypted. This will save you, your employees, your clients, and more importantly, your company from a whole lot of trouble. So, the bottom line is, get all work-related files encrypted before it’s too late.