{"id":4222,"date":"2017-07-24T08:00:23","date_gmt":"2017-07-24T12:00:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ascloudservices.com\/?p=4222"},"modified":"2017-07-21T14:48:15","modified_gmt":"2017-07-21T18:48:15","slug":"ways-to-keep-customer-data-secure","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ascloudservices.com\/ways-to-keep-customer-data-secure\/","title":{"rendered":"Ways to Keep Customer Data Secure"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Cyber crime is a serious concern for business owners. Recently IBM Chair, CEO, and President, Ginni Rometty, called it \u201cthe greatest threat to every company in the world\u201d. According to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.juniperresearch.com\/press\/press-releases\/cybercrime-cost-businesses-over-2trillion\">Juniper Research<\/a>, by 2019 cyber crime will cost businesses a staggering $2 trillion.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s impossible to put a dollar value on what your customer data is worth \u2013 or the cost to your business should sensitive data be compromised by theft or loss. For many small companies, a security breach could simply mean the end of the business.<\/p>\n<p>If you don\u2019t already have a data security plan in place, these tips will help you take steps to prevent a devastating loss.<\/p>\n<h3>Protect your Company\u2019s Information Assets<\/h3>\n<p>Given what\u2019s at stake, every company should prepare a data security plan that identifies their information assets \u2013 that is, hardware that stores private customer and employee information. Your plan should also outline potential threats to keeping information assets safe, and strategies to protect them.<\/p>\n<p>Your information assets may include:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>computers<\/li>\n<li>tablets<\/li>\n<li>mobile phones<\/li>\n<li>servers<\/li>\n<li>USB keys<\/li>\n<li>fax machines<\/li>\n<li>employee devices used for work<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>In addition to inventorying information assets with descriptions and serial numbers, your security plan should outline your strategy for protecting data by asset, prioritized by severity of loss in a security breach.<\/p>\n<p>This <a href=\"https:\/\/www.managehubsecurity.com\/cybersecurity-success-score\/\">free cyber security self-assessment<\/a> can help you determine the strength of your internal cyber security processes \u2013 a useful starting point to develop your company\u2019s security plan.<\/p>\n<h3>Move to Cloud-Based Storage<\/h3>\n<p>Storing company <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ascloudservices.com\/why-keep-your-data-in-the-cloud\/\">data in the cloud<\/a> is one way to minimize the risk of customer data loss by keeping sensitive information off devices.<\/p>\n<p>Cloud storage providers offer secured data centers, encryption, and authentication for your company data, as well as trained professionals working around the clock to keep your data safe from cyber attack.<\/p>\n<p>Another benefit to cloud-based storage is that employees can log in securely to access customer information \u2013 a much safer option than transferring data over email or downloading to computers, laptops, or mobile devices.<\/p>\n<h3>Set Rules for Company Devices<\/h3>\n<p>Many small businesses rely on tablets and mobile phones to conduct day to day operations. Unfortunately, these company devices pose a serious threat to customer data if they are lost, damaged, or stolen.<\/p>\n<p>Protect customer data with encryption, and be sure to install tracking software, update anti-virus protection regularly, and wipe data remotely from lost or stolen devices.<\/p>\n<p>Whether the mobile devices that store or access customer data are company-owned or are part of the company&#8217;s BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) requirement, talk to your employees about the importance of keeping customer data private and secure, and consider implementing these security guidelines:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>All employee passwords should be unique, difficult to guess, and re-set frequently<\/li>\n<li>Files should not be downloaded from the cloud to company devices, nor should apps that may carry malicious codes or security flaws<\/li>\n<li>Personal devices should not be used for work<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Limit Customer Data Access<\/h3>\n<p>Ensure only employees who need access to customer data in order to perform their jobs can do so. Take advantage of software settings that \u201clock\u201d customer data by user, and disable access rights whenever employees retire or move on to a job at another company.<\/p>\n<p>By following these guidelines, you can rest easy knowing you\u2019ve taken important steps to keep your customer data safe \u2013 and your business safe from a devastating cyber attack.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h4>Continued Reading:<\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/alloysilverstein.com\/3-precautions-phishing-fraud-attacks\/\" target=\"_blank\">3 Precautions to Take Against Phishing Attacks<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/abacuspay.com\/your-small-business-cant-afford-to-ignore-cyber-security\/\">Your Small Business Can&#8217;t Afford to Ignore Cyber Security<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/alloysilverstein.com\/55-small-business-hit-phishing-scam-2017\/\" target=\"_blank\">55 Small Business Hit by Phishing Scam \u2014 Don\u2019t Be One of Them<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/alloysilverstein.com\/be-cautious-reselling-used-electronic-devices-fraud-alert\/\" target=\"_blank\">Be Cautious in Reselling Used Electronic Devices<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ascloudservices.com\/why-go-paperless\/\">Why Go Paperless?<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<br \/>\n&nbsp;<\/p>\n<hr>\n<h3>Alloy Silverstein Cloud Services<\/h3>\n<p><small>Bringing simple online accounting to startups and forward-thinking businesses. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ascloudservices.com\/contact-us\/\">Contact us to get started. \u2192<\/a><br \/>\n&nbsp;<\/small><\/p>\n<h4>Share this article:<\/h4>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Cyber crime is a serious concern for business owners. Recently IBM Chair, CEO, and President, Ginni Rometty, called it \u201cthe greatest threat to every company in the world\u201d. According to Juniper Research, by 2019 cyber crime will cost businesses a staggering $2 trillion. It\u2019s impossible to put a dollar value on what your customer data &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ascloudservices.com\/ways-to-keep-customer-data-secure\/\">Continued<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":4310,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false}}},"categories":[50,48],"tags":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v22.7 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Ways to Keep Customer Data Secure - Alloy Silverstein<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Ways to Keep Customer Data Secure - Alloy Silverstein\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Cyber crime is a serious concern for business owners. Recently IBM Chair, CEO, and President, Ginni Rometty, called it \u201cthe greatest threat to every company in the world\u201d. According to Juniper Research, by 2019 cyber crime will cost businesses a staggering $2 trillion. 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