Losing sensitive client data such as login credential credentials, medical records, credit card information, or financial reports can ruin your business operation.  In fact, the consequences can be legal, financial, and PR related. However, there are some steps to take to safeguard your client data against security breaches. Below are some data protection tips to help you keep your business information secure:

Consider Smart Password Protection

For a lot of businesses, password protection is a continuous challenge. You may come across different pieces of advice for creating storing passwords but unfortunately, forcing your employees to use complex passwords can increase the possibility of them choosing a single complex password to remember and use for different login credentials. This results in the creation of a single point of failure that gives access to systems and services.

The best password is composed of a combination of encrypted passwords and multifactor authentication. Such measures will eliminate the threat of compromised passwords. Also, you can implement single sign-on (SSO) which is a system that enables users to securely authenticate with several applications and systems by logging in just once using a set of credentials.

Limit Access to Sensitive Data

Your organisation must not allow anyone to access your sensitive client data. Lax security protocols or employee mistakes can compromise your security system and leave your organisation vulnerable to a data breach. Limiting the number of employees and systems that can access sensitive data is an effective way to prevent breaches. As a result, you will have fewer systems to protect and maintain as well as fewer employees who might make some errors.

Avoid Using a Shared Server

A lot of businesses use shared servers to reduce their operating costs. But, sharing a server with others comes with a security risk. Reputable hosting companies have measures in place to protect server data; however, when another website on a shared server is compromised, this could impact your own site. Moving to a dedicated server is a far more secure option. Although this server is more expensive than shared servers, it offers an extra layer of protection for you and your clients.

Stay on Top of Security Updates

Many security hacks exploited famous security holes. For example, the WannaCry ransomware attack targeted a Windows security system flaw. Although Windows knew about this and had patched a couple of months before the attack took place, a lot of users postponed their security updates, leaving them exposed to attackers.