Businesses need to understand that the biggest threat comes from within, meaning that it’s important for digital enterprises to secure their data both externally and internally. This is no longer an option, thanks to employees bringing more devices into the enterprise than ever before. An employee could easily access your sensitive data without you even knowing about it if they have malware on their phone or tablet.
The idea here is simple; don’t put yourself in a position where this could happen because it will only cost you money in one way or another. To that end, it’s important to understand how you can properly secure your digital enterprise from the inside. This can be accomplished in several simple ways, but the first step is understanding why data security is so important. For those who might not know this, companies are required to meet law enforcement requests for information and other means of investigation as part of criminal and civil investigations.
You should note that if a company does not have appropriate internal policies regarding data security, it will be unable to comply with such demands for information. One reason is that establishing an effective internal communications plan is integral to data security.
It’s important for business owners and managers alike to regularly remind their employees about the importance of adhering to its security policies. Employees need to be aware that their job could depend on how well they protect the company’s data. This means having a policy in place that requires all devices connecting to the internal network to have up-to-date antivirus software and other security measures in place.
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Access Control
Business owners should also consider implementing access control technology. This is a simple way to ensure that no one will get into the system without permission from the administrator. Access control works by requiring all users to authenticate themselves with an assigned password before gaining access to any sensitive data on the network. Most people would say that this shouldn’t be necessary because of how easy it is to implement; however, most companies don’t even use access control!
Segregation of Duties
Another important aspect of data security within the enterprise network is the proper segregation of duties policy. This means that no one person will have complete control over all aspects of the business. Instead, every job description should list only those responsibilities they are authorized to perform. By doing this, it’s much less likely for someone to commit fraud against the company because they won’t be able to do anything with their ill-gotten gains anyway.
Data Leak Prevention
You should also consider implementing software specifically designed for data leak prevention (DLP). There are many different options available today to protect sensitive information from leaving the network. DLP works by managing how your employees access and share data. You should note here that DLP is not an all-inclusive solution for data security; it should be used in conjunction with other measures.
Data Encryption
The most important part of your digital enterprise’s data security plan should focus on how all sensitive information is encrypted while it’s at rest and being transmitted. This means making sure to encrypt any laptops, desktops, tablets, etc., that are used by employees who handle sensitive customer/patient data (or your own company’s valuable data). You can also protect this same data while it’s at rest by using encryption techniques like RAID 1 or 5. No one will ever get their hands on the valuable information stored on devices if they don’t have the proper decryption key.
Data Backups
Finally, you should also ensure that all your valuable information is backed up regularly, preferably daily. You never know when an IT disaster might strike (viruses, malware infections, ransomware, etc…), so having regular backups will save you if/when incidents like this occur. If these types of disasters happen infrequently, it’s always best to be safe than sorry!
Final Thoughts
Securing your digital enterprise’s data from within is something that should be taken very seriously. By implementing some or all of the measures described in this article, you’ll be putting yourself in a much better position to protect your business’ valuable information. Remember, no one is immune to data breaches; it can happen to anyone, so it’s best to be prepared.
