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Preventing Data Loss: 6 Strategies from a Top NJ Managed Service Provider

Data has become one of the most valuable assets of a business, even more so that businesses are rapidly shifting to online and digital operations due to the pandemic. That’s why protecting their data and preventing data loss has become a major concern for small and large businesses alike. Acknowledging this growing concern of data security for companies, here are six data loss prevention strategies from a top NJ managed service provider:

1. Get serious about your data backups
2. Manage data access
3. Use multi-factor authentication
4. Minimize human error
5. Embrace standard security measures
6. Hire a cybersecurity expert

Data Backups

Recent statistics showed that despite 90% of organizations backing up their data, 42% were still affected by data loss, and only 41% backed up their data daily. So simply creating a backup is not enough. Businesses need to put in extra effort in securing the backup, both physically and digitally, as well as confirm their backed-up data can be successfully restored. Here are some tips for creating secure data backups:

• Make sure your in-house data center is only accessible by select staff.
• Have multiple backups for your most valuable data.
• Increase your backup frequency, if not daily, then at least a few times each week.
• Run periodical tests to have confidence in your ability to restore the data from a backup quickly and completely. 
• Use secure cloud backups or hire a reliable third-party service provider.

Manage Data Access

One of the most crucial aspects of data security is to manage user access. And the larger your company, the more difficult it gets to manage various levels of access to data. You must have a clearly defined framework for user access starting from the top management, and every user should have unique login IDs and passwords. The IT team must constantly monitor users who access the data at different levels. Staff must be trained and instructed to protect their access at all costs, never sharing their credentials with any of their colleagues.

Use Two-Factor Authentication

Passwords are not enough to protect against data breaches. Using two-factor authentication, or 2FA in short offers an additional layer of security to passwords and has been highly effective in ensuring that only the right people can access data.

2FA can be easily implemented with the use of security tokens, one-time passwords, and even biometric verification. Some companies use 2FA in place of a password, but it’s even better to use it on top of a password, especially when accessing more sensitive and highly confidential data.

Minimize Human Errors

Many data loss and theft cases have resulted from much simpler attacks such as phishing and social engineering. Protecting your data through digital techniques will not suffice as long as there is room for human errors.

To prevent such cases, businesses should train their staff on how they can protect themselves from these types of attacks. Organize training, seminars, and workshops on cyber security where your employees will learn to identify the phishing links and attempts from hackers to orchestrate social engineering attacks. 3nom offers free security training for both non-technical and technical employees—register today. 

Don’t be Careless about Standard Security Measures

Things like anti-viruses, firewall, and malware protection might sound obvious, and you’re likely using them already. But just because you have implemented these measures doesn’t mean you can now turn a blind eye, and rest assured. If you’re using commercial anti-virus or cheaper software, it’s no good at all. They may be sufficient for personal users, but a business requires much stronger data security measures.

Invest in anti-viruses and applications that are specifically designed for business servers and systems. Have a dedicated security team in your IT department to monitor the system and ensure that the software and firewall are working as intended.

Hire a Managed Service Provider

If your business doesn’t specialize in IT operations or doesn’t have the resources to set up your own IT team, the best option to secure your data is to hire a managed service provider. Just make sure that you interview multiple service providers (MSPs) and select the most experienced, reliable and trustworthy of them. 

Having an expert managed service provider take care of your data will ensure excellent data security and allow you to focus on your core business operations. Start by scheduling a free 30-minute consultation with 3nom, the top-rated NY, NJ, and FL MSP with over two decades of experience serving small- and medium-sized businesses.