Is Your Business Data About to Be Breached?

Based on a 2012 study from Sage, the majority of small businesses back up important data like financial information, yet it is primarily done on-site. 

To make matters worse, only 38 percent of the businesses surveyed have a disaster preparedness or formal emergency plan.

These statistics from the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) highlight the dire circumstances that surround some businesses.  If private information is not secure, it puts both the small business and its clients in danger.  Without safe data that is backed up, a small business puts a lot at risk.

Getting Your Plan Together

Following the SBA's advice, it isn't difficult to get a plan together for protecting key data - whether it is for your business or your customers.  We can follow their four steps for a better security plan:

1. Automate Backups: You may already be in the habit of backing up to an external hard drive.  The SBA points out other solutions can be key, such as the cloud, in maintaining important data.  This can help you if local and physical backups are destroyed in a fire, for instance.

2. Server Virtualization: Disaster recovery is easier with server virtualization - and it's also cost effective.  By running a number of virtual server environments, you can let one server do the work of many.

3. Use a Full Service Security Suite: This is a simple and logical step.  Use a hardware firewall, antivirus and spam filters, and content filters to protect against malware, viruses, and intrusion attempts.

4. Disaster Preparedness Plan: A plan of action is a must for returning to business following a disaster.  Most businesses don't even make it that far.

Other Important Considerations

While the above steps are certainly a great start, there is much more to running a successful business that prioritizes sensitive data. 

One key is to use encryption to protect data in the event that it is stolen.  This is especially relevant when data is stored onsite.

Don't forget about the other end of the technological spectrum - paper. 

Shred all physical documents, as credit card or personal information can be found on plenty of physical documents that your business may have.  A sound shredding company is a must as well.

Make sure everything is secure - and this includes mobile devices that employees use, passwords in the system, and the wireless network of the business itself.  All of these are considerable targets if they are left vulnerable.  It only takes a few careful steps to eliminate any such weak points.

Make security a priority in your company, and be prepared for anything and everything that can come your way. 

It's vital for the security of your clients and well as your company as a whole.