A recent study from Sophos found sensitive employee information – including healthcare records, human resources files and banking data – is not as protected as it should be. Without necessary security features, corporate materials are also at risk. Both of these factors put organizations' reputations in serious trouble. One wrong move or hack could result in a public analysis of character. There are several steps businesses can take to protect their own information as well as that of workers:
Implement encryption program
Once fraudsters gain access to companies' servers, they'll have their pick of data to utilize for their benefit. This is especially true if organizations do not have an encryption policy in place. In fact,, as 30 percent of businesses fail to consistently encrypt their own information, according to the Sophos study. This practice has to extend past just data protection, however. If companies don't encrypt their hard drives, thieves can easily plug this mechanism into another machine to connect to sensitive data, according to PCWorld. Corporate leaders should also secure their external and USB thumb drives, cloud storage, Internet traffic and other forms of information transmission.
Although hackers are becoming more intelligent about their forms of breaking into company systems and data, encryption can at least hide this information to a certain degree. This gives businesses enough time to locate the breach and implement steps to stop it.
"Data thieves are finding smarter ways to gain access to information."
Perform vulnerability evaluations
While company and human resources leaders may believe they have the crucial elements in place to protect their corporate and employee data, fraudsters are always finding new ways to break into business systems. To ensure any security holes are identified and fixed, organizations should complete regular vulnerability assessments, according to IT Business Edge. Both internal and external solutions should be analyzed to highlight any suspicious activity. Any actions HR teams feel skeptical about should be analyzed more closely to avoid long-term breaches.
Educate employees
Perhaps one of the most important steps organizations can take is to inform their workers of business policies and procedures concerning data protection. It's common for hacks to occur due to employee errors – like following a spear-phishing email. Companies should make people aware of the practices in place to protect information, so workers are cognizant of attempts to steal their personal data, The Business Journals recommends.
Data protection, especially concerning employee and corporate information, is of the utmost importance to businesses. Unfortunately, many organizations are currently unprepared for potential breaches. These companies must implement encryption practices, perform vulnerability evaluations and inform employees on security procedures to avoid large-scale attacks.