How To Make Your Business Information More Secure

Running a business means you have access to a lot of personal information. In addition to your information, you’ll have data regarding your employees, your vendors, and your customers. With so much sensitive information on the line, keeping it secure is essential. There is no “too much” regarding security for your company and its important information. There are several things you can do to protect your business.

Choose the Right File Sharing Service

Uploading and sharing files via the cloud is essential to most businesses. It’s quick, convenient, and allows you to send multiple files to everyone who needs them all at once. However, if you don’t choose the right secure file-sharing service, your information could become compromised. Looking for the right features is essential.

When choosing a file-sharing service, look for one with a business-grade security system. Those marketed to consumers are more likely to be threatened with data leaks or other problems. Business-grade systems provide more control and better security systems that include encryption and allow you to quickly revoke access to information. They also detect and protect sensitive information by preventing unauthorized sharing.

Invest in Physical Security

Physical security is likely just as important as digital security, depending on your business type. High-quality security systems, including video cameras and alarms, can help deter thieves from breaking into your store and stealing inventory or information when you aren’t at work.

Think about how your employees navigate your business as well. Always do thorough background checks before hiring someone to ensure they are not a threat to your company. If necessary, provide ID badges to ensure only employees can enter the building. If someone leaves the company, be sure to revoke all access immediately. How you handle situations in the physical world can help keep your digital information safer.

Provide Ongoing Training For Your Employees

One of the biggest reasons companies see security breaches is that their employees are not well-versed in the best practices for sharing and storing digital information. Train new employees as they’re onboarding to ensure they understand how your company handles security. Every 2-3 months, hold a reminder meeting for the entire team to ensure everyone is keeping up with best practices and alert them to any new security features they should be using. This includes properly deleting information that is no longer needed, ensuring passwords are strong (and changing them often), avoiding using business devices for personal use, and more.

Use a Business Credit Card For Expenses

Never pay for business necessities out of your account. It sets you up for a security risk and could have big negative tax implications. Instead, use a business credit card. Business cards often have more security features than other types of credit cards and include zero-liability fraud protection. You’ll also be able to set spending limits for employees who may need to use the card, receive notifications of charges via text, and dispute transactions immediately if needed.

Guard Against Employee Fraud

There are many stories about previously excellent employees committing fraud, which means you must protect your company even if all of your employees have a clean record. You can do this by controlling what information they can access and for how long. Limit them to only the information they need to do their job and require passwords to access that information.

Ensure the systems you use log when employees access information and what they access. Finally, don’t give too much control to one person. For example, instead of having one person go over expense reports and purchase supplies, divide this between two people to make it more likely that any discrepancies are caught.

Scale Down What You Keep

You don’t need to keep every piece of information for eternity. Doing so can make it more likely that you’re susceptible to a security breach. To keep your company safe, scale down on the information you keep on file. For example, keep social security numbers only for tax purposes and avoid using them as your employees’ identification numbers. If your company has a mobile app, ensure it only gains access to the information it needs to run. Other things to consider include not retaining customers’ credit card information and scaling down how much data your employees can access.

There are never too many ways to protect your company from security problems. Implementing these tactics now can save you a future public relations (not to mention legal) nightmare.