How many times have you done something you knew you shouldn’t have, figuring “I’ll just bend the rules this one time and it won’t matter?” Be honest, we won’t tell.
We’ve all done it, but that doesn’t mean we should continue to tempt fate. One of our vendors found this out recently when he backed up years’ worth of work documents onto a hard drive that later went missing. This was someone who definitely knew better. So why did he make such a silly mistake? It seemed like the easiest and most convenient option.
That brings us to today’s question: are you making a classic data security mistake? Are you making a blunder that is bound to come back and bite you at some point?
Let’s take a look at a few that we see all the time…
Keeping Everything Offline
As our vendor could tell you, it is much, much safer (not to mention convenient) to keep remote cloud backups than it is to hold on to external hard drives or tape systems.
If you have the habit of keeping important files in or around your office, as many entrepreneurs do, then consider adding another layer of backups to your configuration. You never know when you might need them, particularly following a break-in, fire, electrical surge, or some other calamity. This is an easy step to take, and one you’ll be thankful you followed through with later.
Not Password Protecting Files
Speaking of backups and external drives, any sensitive information that’s in your care should be password-protected if it can be accessed by others. This applies to travel drives, thumb drives, remote storage accounts, and particularly files or folders with financial details.
Going a bit further, these passwords should be complex (no simple words or number strings), and they should be changed a couple of times per year. Once again, this is a set of guidelines that can seem excessive right up until the moment you realize they could have saved you thousands or millions of dollars.
Oversharing Login Details
This is the oldest mistake in the book and the one that’s most common. Maybe you assume there is no risk in sharing logins, passwords, and other sensitive credentials with employees and vendors because you trust them. Or perhaps you just haven’t thought through the different ways in which your data can be shared.
The fact of the matter is that very few people need to have full access to banking info, server information, or networking details (as examples). Be very careful about oversharing and consider having a team like ours review your security processes from time to time. Otherwise, you could find yourself on the expensive end of a simple mistake.
Is It Time to Change Your Outlook on IT?
Outsourced IT care can be an expensive hassle, or it can be a point of competitive strength for your business. The difference usually comes from having the right team supporting you.
If you’d like to find out what happens when you have engaged and proactive professionals looking over details like data security and network performance, then we want to hear from you. Contact Fantastic IT today to schedule a free consultation.