When running your business, how much time and effort do you place on making sure your company data isboth backed up and protected?
Unfortunately, too many businesses would answer little or even none to that question, leaving themselves and oftentimes their customers exposed to potential headaches should the data be lost.
With that in mind, will your business use the New Year to make sure company data is properly backed up and protected, or will you take yet another chance that a year will go by without any incidents?
Backing up Data is Easier than You Think
In order to be sure you deploy the right data protection to keep your business humming, brush up on these tidbits as 2016 unfolds:
- System reviews – You should periodically review your data backup plans, seeing what is working and what might need attention. Keep in mind that the data world is ever-changing and growing literally by the minute, so it only stands to reason that there is a ton of information and processes to keep up with. Review your plans so that you are not overlooking anything, remembering that just one slip-up can cost your business time, new or current business, and especially revenue. You should also consider hiring an in-house it services department.
- Employee factor – Whether by accident or unfortunately the occasional maliciousness, employees can compromise your data’s integrity. This can occur via accidentally exposing information which in turn can easily be hacked. It can also take place as a result of an employee or employees turning against their employer when they are fired. Make sure that employees (present and those recently dismissed) are instructed on the ramifications which can come from exposing data. As an example, suppose you fire an employee and they take some personal data with them. The data could be everything from customer account information to the social security numbers of current employees (someone could get this information having done payroll). Once they have been let go from your company, they decide to sell the information and/or post some or all of it on social media sites. As a result, company and/or customer data is out there for countless people to get hold of and do what they want with it. The negative public relations fallout from such happenings can prove very damning for your business and its reputation;
- Technology reviews – While losing company and/or customer data can prove a major problem for your business, explore what technology offerings are out there to lessen the chances for such problems occurring in the first place. There are businesses out there always looking to stay one step ahead of hackers and also lessen the chances of losing mounds of data through employee errors or system crashes. While you may be reluctant at time due to budgetary constraints to spend the time for such technological enhancements, think about the money that may need to be spent down the road if problems do arise. Over the long haul, not being prepared for such problems can prove much costlier than if you had spent some money and resources to better protect your company’s data;
- Outside factors – Finally, always be cautious and protective for that matter when you have outsiders accessing your data with your approval. You may end up outsourcing customer data to individuals or companies who in turn will be assisting you with meeting the needs of clients. While it can be beneficial for you and your business to outsource some of this work, there are a few risks that come with such endeavors. Most notably, do you full trust those who will have access to clientele data and/or your company’s for that matter? It is important that you hire only the best and most trusted outsiders in these cases, knowing that they have their hands on such important data. Make it clear to them (contracts are certainly not a bad idea) that providing such data to anyone outside the company is not allowed and could even lead to potential legal proceedings. Finally, it is important to do reasonable background checks on those you outsource data work to, making sure you have reputable individuals/businesses accessing important data.
When it comes to backing up and protecting your company’s data, don’t drop the ball and potentially lose both customers and revenue.
