Whatever your field, customers and clients rely on your business to keep their personal data secure. If hackers gain access your data, they may cause financial fraud, identity theft, and a loss in trust. It’s possible to stop data breaches before they happen.
Securely storing personal information offline means ensuring that the physical records, like disks and paper files, aren’t accessible to unauthorised individuals. It’s important to clearly label the storage media you use and to ensure that a company’s policies are adhered to when it comes to handling sensitive documents.
Personal information online is more difficult to protect because it is stored on computers, servers and other devices that have the capability to communicate online. The best practices for safeguarding personal information on the internet differs by platform, therefore it is important to study the security practices of a company prior to saving any sensitive information. In addition, regulations like GDPR, CCPA and HIPAA have made it easier for individuals to find out what data an organization has on them and request that it be deleted.
Encrypting data, both when it’s being stored or transmitted over a network, is one of the most efficient ways to protect information. It’s also a good idea to regularly review the amount of information you have and only keep what is essential. This can help you to avoid major data breaches which could have a significant impact on your business or the people you trust.