In the last month, there have been a host of high-profile data breaches. From dating websites to major telecommunications companies, the headlines speak for themselves. Storing data is dangerous. Whether it’s your own confidential data, or sensitive customer information, you are at risk. Cyber theft is now a very real problem for small businesses and startups. And it’s clear that even the biggest companies aren’t alway safe. So, what can you do to keep your business secure?
The answer is simple. Backups. Backing up your business is security 101. First of all, make sure you have a secure place to store all your data. Secondly, install a contingency plan to act in the case of theft. There are lots of different ways for a website to backup their data, and we’re going to let you in on the secrets. We suggest you use a combination of all the techniques listed here.
Data centres – Data centres are enormous, secure servers that look after your data and information. These are a serious, professional solution for businesses that collect a lot of information. In many cases, you’ll need a bespoke data centre build service. These experts will install a private data server on your premises, which will backup and lock away your information. For a smaller solution, you can pay to access a small part of a shared data centre. Of course, a personal, bespoke option is much more secure.
The cloud – Cloud storage systems are becoming much more popular. Essentially, it means uploading your data and information to online servers elsewhere. Some of the smaller professional services include DropBox and SkyDrive. With a pro account, you’ll get access to more than enough space for a small business. It’s great for startups, but if you want a seriously secure, and private, server, you’ll need to look further afield.
Encryptions and firewalls – One simple answer is backing up data onto external hard drives, or on your existing server itself. The trouble here is that it is easily accessible to people within your building. Hacking your everyday server is also much easier than a remote data centre. With that in mind, you need extensive firewalls and encryptions codes if you use internal servers. They’re easy enough to set up, and very difficult for hackers to crack. An encryption is essentially a piece of code that can only be translated with the corresponding key.
Hard copies – With so much emphasis on internet security, data solutions, and backups, we tend to forget the obvious answers. Printing out hard copies is still one of the safest ways to keep confidential files safe. Once printed, remove them from your computer hard drive. Now, store those papers in hidden, locked cabinets or files. It means your employees and hackers can’t get anywhere near those secret files and data.
Backing up your business is now an essential part of security. Imagine the repercussions if your server was breached. It doesn’t bear thinking about! Take our advice, and secure your company today.