Top Five Ways to Avoid a Data Breach

In a recent post in Asigra‘s blog, Candice Francis outlines five proven ways to avoid a data breach. As companies capture and store more vital business data every day, they put themselves at greater risk for a breach. Thus, it’s important that organizations take the proper steps to protect their data assets. These five steps should be the first things a company that is looking to get serious about data protection should know:

Be aware

Businesses should train their employees in best practices to ensure security. This will be beneficial to everyone to raise awareness about the threats that lurk beyond network walls. Training can also reduce the risk of mistakes that typically lead to a data breach. An established policy of data security should be high on a data-driven company’s to-do list.

Monitor insiders within the business environment

Monitoring network traffic can help IT view unusual behavior, or at the very least, know what normal network traffic looks like so if anything out of the ordinary is to occur, they will be able to quickly recognize the outlier.

Secure computers and mobile devices

The first step to securing a company’s devices is to deploy password protection and time out functionality. It’s also important to make sure all of the regularly used software is up-to-date to ensure that the latest security patches have been installed. A business can also decide to add website blockers and unapproved software filters on their computers for added security.

Apply encryption

Company’s need to make sure that all of their data, whether it’s at rest or in motion, is encrypted. This includes adding security measures to everything from servers to computers to users’ mobile phones. Encryption is the easiest safeguard against stolen or misused devices.

Perform regular vulnerability assessments

Regular scanning to systems within a company’s network will allow for recognition of vulnerabilities before they become exploited. Having a reliable enterprise-class backup solution in place is also very important.

Data security is gaining popularity as organizations begin to understand the importance of protecting data assets. Proactive planning, training, and action can help to ward off would-be threats.

This article was inspired by a recent post in Asigra’s blog.

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