How to Improve Your Data Security and Data Compliance

How To Improve Your Data Security and Data Compliance

Security lapses at well-known companies throughout the world make headlines on a daily basis. These assaults demonstrate how vulnerable data is and how weak of security measures are used by enterprises of all sizes. The health of your firm as a whole depends on the security of your data. Your financial information, employment data, and trade secrets all require security. If your security is breached, you may lose money and tarnish your image. Fortunately, there are measures you can do to prevent becoming a headline, and there are a ton of useful tools and suggestions available to help you keep your business safe.

In this guide, we’ll take a look at a few steps, tricks, and pieces of advice to help organization decision-makers improve their data security and data compliance.

How To Improve Your Data Security and Data Compliance

       1. Have a Strong, Non-Negotiable Password Policy Across the Entire Organization.

Many businesses continue to have loose password standards, which results in basic, generic, and hackable passwords for important accounts that have access to sensitive and priceless data. The first step you can do to improve your security in this area is to implement strong passwords. Use moderately difficult passwords and update them at least every 90 days. Passwords like "54321" or "Employee1" should never be used. Never write down your passwords and leave them where others might discover them.

       2. Prepare for Your Regular Audits Before They Happen.

The frequency of unexpected auditor visits increases when new requirements are introduced. Even if you are entirely compliant, these audits can have a significant impact on your company. It takes a lot of time and resources to gather all the records the auditor needs to access during the auditing process. This might interfere with your regular business activities and harm your company over the long run. The need for an audit preparation policy stems from this. Keeping things organized is beneficial regardless of whether an auditor turns up. You will be able to identify any blind spots and prevent any mistakes that might leave you exposed and result in compliance breaches as you go through the audit preparation process.

       3. Keep an Eye on Insider Threats.

Since external dangers are frequently portrayed as the biggest and most expensive ones in the news and television, it's simple to picture them. However, the truth is that your insiders have the most capacity to harm you. Insider assaults can be challenging to identify and stop due to their nature. It might be as easy as a worker opening an email attachment they think is from a reliable source and activating a ransomware worm. Threats of this nature are the most frequent and expensive worldwide. 

       4. For GDPR Compliance, Always Be Ready for Data Subject Access Requests.

One of the guiding principles of GDPR is the right of access, which refers to giving your customers the ability to see the specific personal information you hold on them. Additionally, they have the right to receive this information quickly and efficiently. Within a month of receiving the request, your business must reply to the request. You may react to data subject access requests quickly by establishing a defined procedure for doing so. You'll often be required to answer these requests without charging anyone. You could be permitted to charge a fee or take longer than the normal one month if the data is too difficult or repeated, but you shouldn't rely on these exceptions while creating your own response approach.

       5. Train Your Employees at All Levels of Your Company– Including Your CIOs and CEOs.

While high-end firewalls and legal teams are necessary for running a contemporary business safely, the majority of organizations spend a sizable portion of their security budget on them. However, the amount of data breaches in recent years indicates that further precautions are required. Instead of being overly simple and one-sided, data security needs to be approached from several angles. No matter how much money is spent on this problem, it might all be for nothing if your firm does not close all security-related gaps.

Educating your workforce on the significance of data security and compliance is the first step toward achieving this. If your personnel is not adequately trained, it will be hard to completely execute your data protection rules or address privacy and compliance concerns. Every single employee needs to be conscious of the possibility that a single compliance lapse might have a disastrous domino impact on the entire business. All of your earlier investments and efforts could be in nothing without efficient training and the adoption of a security and compliance-focused attitude throughout all of your teams and departments.

       6. Only Use Secure Networks and Be Mindful When Taking Data Off-Site.

Take information off-site only if it is absolutely necessary. Any data should be password- or encryption-protected, and it should be erased or returned after usage. Encrypting data is crucial before sharing it. You should only access or send data through secure networks, so it makes sense. You increase your vulnerability if you connect to your company's network using insecure networks, such as free WiFi hotspots outside of your office. When accessing or sharing any data, keep this in mind. Make careful you exclusively use work-related devices to process information, even while using a secure network. That includes all of the data pertaining to your employment, such as emails, papers, and instant messaging. Don't send information to your personal email or phone, and refrain from printing or utilizing any personal devices or connections.

       7. Invest in Cybersecurity Software and Technology.

Since data security continues to be the biggest risk to your IT infrastructure, many CIOs have acknowledged that investing more time and money in it is essential. With the recognition that cybersecurity must be a crucial component of all business operations, many large corporations with critical corporate data to protect are employing chief security officers, frequently to board-level roles.