We know that starting the conversation around cybersecurity can be difficult for small businesses. If you are looking for a place to begin, we suggest focusing on protecting your data. Data loss can occur due to a wide variety of causes. Faulty hardware, ransomware, natural disaster, or even employee error. It is critical to have a plan in place to mitigate these risks and ensure that your data is secure. These 5 questions will help you better understand your own business data, the first step to making sure it is protected.
How Much Data Do You Have?
In order to start securing sensitive data you must know how much data you have to defend. The amount of data will help dictate which solution is right for your unique needs. It is not uncommon for small businesses to have a poor understanding of how much data they have and which data sets are critical to protect.
Where Is Your Data?
A scary question if you don’t know the answer. Is it in the cloud? On a server in the network closet? Dispersed between both of those and in a handful of Google Drive accounts not owned or managed by your business?
Scattered data is a regular occurrence in the small business sector and can lead to some pretty serious consequences, primarily data loss. Business data stored in undocumented locations or an employee’s personal computer or cloud solution makes it incredibly difficult to protect.
Do You Share Data Securely?
Small businesses often work with a large number of vendors or partners to serve their own customers. This cooperation frequently requires sensitive data to be shared. But sharing that data securely isn’t always easy. This leads to businesses sharing data in risky ways.
Who Has Access To Your Data?
Do you know which members of your staff can access sensitive files or folders? A major component to protecting your data is knowing who has access. Setting access permissions can significantly cutdown on both accidental and malicious data loss.
Where Can Your Data Be Accessed From?
Can you access your data from outside the office? Can you access it from any device? Nowadays it is almost a necessity to be able to access business data from anywhere. However, additional security considerations must be made to prevent unintended access.
We encourage you to reflect on these questions and the overall cybersecurity posture of your business. If you find that you have more questions than answers, reach out to us today and find out how The Purple Guys can help you start the conversation about cybersecurity and create a plan to protect your business.