Protect Your Organization from Data Loss and Identity Theft

Identity theft is one of the fastest-growing types of criminal activity. It is usually easy to perform, almost impossible to catch the criminals who engage in it, and penalties for stealing data are relatively light. When security breaches do occur, the organization that maintained the stolen data is responsible for notifying the victims, and the costs can be exorbitant.

Establishing adequate security procedures and following them are critical to protecting your organization from identity theft. Here are several steps to take that will enhance your data security and help prevent identity theft.

Perform a thorough security audit. It is important to have an independent firm conduct a security audit of your network and procedures. Using an independent firm will help you avoid having the results affected by opinions or needs of internal management or staff. An objective audit that focuses on improving data security is a good first step in the loss avoidance/data protection process.

Encrypt all laptop hard drives. An encrypted hard drive requires a key to access the data stored on it. If the hard drive is lost or stolen, it’s of no use to potential data thieves, because they don’t have the required key.

Adopt an acceptable use policy and provide employee training. When employees use the Internet to access websites, this can compromise your data by allowing potential access to hackers and viruses. Another area of risk is the use of personal computers on the corporate network, or attaching outside devices such as thumb drives or removable hard drives. A thorough acceptable use policy will help minimize the potential threat of these activities.

Control and restrict user access to sensitive information. A clear policy that restricts user access to sensitive data is vital to protecting your organization from data theft. A security auditor will review this policy for you and verify that there are adequate procedures in place to implement the policy.

Designate someone as Information Security Officer. Having a central point of contact for data security issues will provide your organization with accountability for taking the necessary steps to implement data security procedures. This person doesn’t necessarily need to be technically oriented, but rather is simply responsible for driving the compliance initiatives.

Maintain “layered security.” Layered security uses increasing levels of authorization to access more secure data. Users who do not have a need to see sensitive data will have the lowest level of authorization, while users who need access, such as human resources, will need higher levels of authorization. Users who do not need physical access to server equipment should not have it.

Begin asking questions about security. False assumptions are often made about security, and simply asking questions often reveals large areas of risk that are easily mitigate.

Taking these basic steps to create a more secure network will substantially reduce your organization’s risk exposure and will minimize the chances you have to pay the exorbitant costs associated with identity theft and data loss.

Protecting Your Company’s Information

Do you know when computer files leave your network, and who has access to what? Or where files are located on your network?

The information companies have created, accumulated and paid for provide a competitive advantage against competitors, but that advantage can be lost when companies can’t access the information they need or control the information that enters and leaves the organization. Your company may also miss opportunities as employees waste time searching servers or intranets for the information they need. As these issues continue to burden businesses, more and more are turning to specialized document management software for the solution.

Document management software such as Worldox prevents crucial documents from being mishandled or lost while driving more value from company intellectual property. They also improve overall organizational efficiency, so professionals can focus on high-value tasks, not waste time searching for material.

While cell phones, USB flash drives and removable disk drives are making it easier than ever for employees to transfer files, they are making it harder for companies to monitor and protect sensitive information. And with the prevalence of Internet-based email programs, employees are able to email work files to their private email accounts in order to work on files from home. The ease at which files are removed from the network could mean important information is being leaked or lost.

Best IT practices allow you to make it easy for employees to access information securely without compromising company security and information. Document management software can be set up to allow employees access to work information off-site through browser-based or email plug-in solutions so documents are better controlled. Additionally, security permissions should be set on your company files to prevent users from accessing documents they don’t require access to.
With so many different ways for company information to be leaked, lost, or changed from its original intent, it’s important for companies to take active control over their proprietary information. Through the use of document management software and a sensible security policy, companies can substantially reduce these risks.