Start-ups are quickly becoming popular targets for cyber criminals, as smaller businesses tend to have fewer security mechanisms in place — making it easier, quicker and less risky for a cyber criminal to access data.
Protecting sensitive material like customer information, employee files, financial materials and intellectual property can be extremely daunting and expensive. But consider the consequences of doing nothing. The average cost of a data breach in the U.S. is $188 per record and the average number of records lost per breach is 23,647, according to Ponemon Institute’s 2013 Cost of Data Breach Study.
To stamp out this threat and rev up your cyber security, here are five easy and inexpensive tips:
To create a strong plan, first determine who has access to data. Map out a policy that will guide employee use and access to sensitive data.
If your company allows employees to work off of personal devices like laptops or smartphones, ensure they are password protected.
Also, outline a data breach preparedness strategy in case sensitive data is compromised.
Only gather customer data that you plan on using and is essential to your business. The less sensitive data you collect, the less you have to worry about it being compromised, allowing more time to focus on other areas of your business.
Educating employees on security best practices is an easy and effective way to protect your start-up.
Most data breaches are caused by human fallibility, such as employees using company credentials on another website or losing a USB stick with sensitive information.
If you notice any vulnerability, ask employees to update passwords to limit the potential impact of the stolen information.
Much like you would monitor your personal-credit report for suspicious activity, do the same for your business’ credit report.
Unwarranted activity on your business’ credit report is an excellent indicator your start-up has been breached.
Pick third-party vendors carefully, as your business data could be at risk if your vendor gets hacked.
If you decide to use the cloud to store company data, pick a trustworthy one that’s known for their security and provides a two-factor authentication option, one that requires a two-step process, like a password and a PIN, for users to log in.
[via Young Entrepreneur]