Introduction
Data is one of the most valuable assets that modern businesses possess. However, it can also be a liability if it isn’t properly managed. This can come in many forms, from security breaches to inefficient use and ineffective storage. In this post, I’ll show you how to ruin your business with terrible data protection and give you some tips on how not to do these things yourself!
1. Don’t have a clear understanding of your data’s value.
Data is the lifeblood of your business. The more you know about it, the better you can protect it.
The first step in protecting your data from harm is knowing what types of value your data has. There are three main types:
- Financial value (how much money could be made)
- Social value (the benefit to society)
- Reputational value (how people perceive you)
2. Delay securing your data until the last minute.
Data protection shouldn’t be an afterthought. It’s important to understand what data your business has, how it’s used, and why protecting that information is so critical.
The first step in creating a solid data protection plan is understanding what type of information you have and where it’s stored. Take inventory of the data that makes up your business–including emails, financial records, customer information and more–and make sure you know where each piece lives on your network or cloud service(s).
Next comes determining how valuable this information is for your company: What would happen if someone stole it? How much could they profit from selling it? Is there any sensitive content in there like medical records or personal details about current or former employees’ private lives? If so–and even if not–you should take measures now to ensure its safety moving forward because having an inadequate plan could lead directly into trouble later down the road when security threats arise unexpectedly (or worse yet…are already present!).
3. Focus on security at the expense of usability and efficiency.
Security is an important part of the data protection process, but it should never be at the expense of usability and efficiency.
Security is a process, not a product. It’s about understanding your risks, implementing appropriate controls based on those risks, monitoring those controls to ensure they work as intended (or better), responding quickly when something goes wrong and learning from your mistakes so that you can improve over time.
When security becomes focused on achieving some end goal (such as making sure someone doesn’t access sensitive data), rather than being part of this continuous improvement cycle where we learn from our successes as well as failures–that’s when things go awry.
4. Bruise your organization’s culture by not trusting employees to do their jobs safely and securely.
It’s not just the IT department that’s responsible for making sure data is protected. Everyone in your organization should be a part of the security team, including employees at all levels.
The most effective way to protect your company’s data is by training everyone on basic security practices and encouraging them to follow best practices when it comes to protecting sensitive information. This includes everything from keeping passwords secure and changing them often, to not sharing login credentials with anyone else–even if they’re family members! It also means teaching employees how important it is not just for themselves but also for their fellow workers’ jobs (and lives) if there were ever an incident involving stolen or leaked information because someone didn’t take proper precautions when accessing sensitive data online or storing documents on their computers at home or work place.”
5. Commit to more than you can deliver, which will lead to failure and leave your organization exposed once again in the future.
- Commit to more than you can deliver, which will lead to failure and leave your organization exposed once again in the future.
It’s easy to get caught up in the excitement of a new project, especially if it’s something big or complex. But before you commit yourself and your team to a solution, make sure that all of your bases are covered by asking yourself these questions:
- What is our budget?
- How much time do we have before launch (or implementation)?
- How many people can we dedicate to this project full-time?
Data is one of the most valuable assets that modern businesses possess, but it can also be a liability if it isn’t properly managed
Data is one of the most valuable assets that modern businesses possess, but it can also be a liability if it isn’t properly managed. If you don’t have proper data protection in place, your business will suffer from lost productivity and revenue, as well as increased risk of fraud and theft.
Fortunately for you–and your customers–there are some simple things you can do to keep your company safe from these risks:
Conclusion
Data is one of the most valuable assets that modern businesses possess, but it can also be a liability if it isn’t properly managed. If you want to avoid these five mistakes and protect your organization’s data from theft or loss, then we urge you to contact us today! We offer affordable solutions that will ensure your information remains safe while also allowing employees access anywhere they need it–no matter what device they’re on or where they work from.
