Talk to staffers, and you’ll hear some sure-fire ways to protect data. Don’t listen to them.
There’s nothing wrong with bringing cutting-edge tech to a Finance department, but most employees have some antiquated ideas about how to handle security. Here are the three most common:
- “Hackers and other external threats are what we need to worry about.” — In most cases, internal users have greater access to and familiarity with company systems and figures. Tactics like frequently changing passwords and having people log off when they step away from their computers are much more effective — and cheaper — than relying on a firewall for protection.
- “If our data’s backed up, we’ve got a safety net.” — Backing up data is only half the job. Sure, you’d be fine if something were accidentally deleted, but without encrypting data, it could easily fall into the wrong hands.
- “Nothing’s more important than protecting our intellectual property.” — Of course you don’t want to hand out company secrets to competitors. But there’s something more valuable on hand than a company’s secrets: customer information. Mishandling personal accounts can result in a costly legal backlash and damage to your company image — allocating IT dollars there will pay off in the long run.
