Tips to Keep Your Data More Secure

The security of your electronic data is of utmost importance. In this day and age it has become commonplace to have electronic records hacked, stolen, or destroyed. This can be damaging to your business or personal information in several ways. First of all is having an outside person gain access to sensitive information. Personal data can be used to steal your identity and wreak havoc on your credit. Business data could be sold to a competitor and cause legal headaches and lost revenue. Lost data can also be difficult or impossible to replace. If it has been wiped from your system, you may lose valuable information forever. This can be a problem when you have to put in the time and effort to start over and begin the process from the start.

Fortunately, there are some things that you can do to keep your data safe and ensure that it doesn't fall into the wrong hands. You must pay close attention to all the security measures that you put into place and see to it that they are kept updated and in good working order. A lapse in a service or one that is outdated and not functioning as it should could cause a lot of damage.

Data Cleaning

Data cleaning is a safety procedure and a very good thing to invest in. The process involves identifying and removing any incorrect data, or anything that isn't in the proper format. This lets you scan the data without unnecessary interference and confusion from incomplete or inaccurate records.

Data cleaning helps to organize and prepare your data so it can be more effectively scanned for relevant information and utilized properly. You need good, clean data records to make important decisions for your company.

Another advantage of a data cleaning program is the time and effort that it will save your employees, not to mention preventing costly mistakes due to misinformation. It will streamline the process and collect only the information you are looking for, so that you can pick and choose what categories to analyze and produce any number of reports to compare and contrast different data sets.

Implement Firewalls and Virus Protection

When you use a computer on a regular basis, you are constantly sending, receiving, and discovering new data. This data needs to be stored safely and protected. The internet is a highly useful tool that makes all kinds of extraordinary things possible, but leaves you open and vulnerable to outside attacks. This is why it is essential that you keep current virus protection and firewalls installed on your computers and devices at all times. The purpose of these programs is to recognize an attack or infected file and stop it before it has a chance to cause you problems. They are one of the most important ways you can protect yourself.

Use Effective Passwords

Passwords and codes are used for almost anything now. Each time you log into a program or application, you are asked to enter your unique user ID and password to verify your identity. The constant need to enter passwords can seem like an inconvenience and provide frustration, but don't slack on this and use the same, easily guessed, password for all of your logins. You need to create original passwords that only you will know. If you need to have a written copy of your password available, keep it in a locked location and don't leave it lying around. Passwords should also be changed on a regular basis to help prevent them from being guessed or hacked.

Limit Employee Access to Sensitive Information

If you work at a company that deals in sensitive information, then take extra precautions to keep it safe. Limit the number of employees who have access to such information to only those that need it to perform their jobs. Having one level of security for all your data, that everyone can access, is a mistake. The more people that have knowledge of something, the more likely that that information will eventually be leaked.

Have special security levels in place for varying degrees of sensitivity and importance. You may even want to keep some records accessible from only a locked office so you can more easily monitor who has access to it.

Back Up Data Often

Another good tip for keeping your data secure is to back up often. Human error, glitches in the computer, software, even unexpected power outages, can cause loss of data that may not be able to be recovered. Prevent this from happening by making backup copies of your data each time you enter important information, complete a project, and at the end of each day.

Data security is a big concern for everyone. It's sadly all too easy to get careless and leave identifying information, or forget to lock your computer and someone passing by can access things they shouldn't. Prevention is a much better option than recovery, so take the steps needed to keep your date safe.