Are you worried about keeping your company’s data safe?
You should be as data breaches are becoming increasingly common. But you don’t have to panic as there’s always a way to protect your data.
You need to avoid the common data management mistakes that most companies make.
This will help you add data, transfer it, edit it, all with protection from hackers.
Here’s how you should go about managing business data:
Table of Contents
1. Keep Records of Your Data
You want to keep a written record of all your data at all times. For example, do you know how many files you have on your USB flash drive? Would you be able to provide the names for files and their description?
You should create a spreadsheet of your data. Each time a file gets created, you should record this in your spreadsheet.
For example, if you create a Word Document named “Test” then record this in your spreadsheet.
Include the date that the document was created and the date of the last modification. Make sure you include the file type and a brief description of the file.
If you delete your data, you should place a strikethrough in the spreadsheet. This is easier to organize rather than delete the text altogether.
2. Protecting Your Hard Drives
You might wish to protect your data by storing it on external hard drives. While these are a great way to protect your data, you’ve also got to worry about protecting your hard drives themselves!
You want to always have a service such as Techspert Services that can help salvage data from a damaged hard drive.
Your hard drives should always get kept in a case. When it’s not in use, keep it in a case rather than leaving it out in the open.
Make sure you gently clean your hard drive to ensure it doesn’t get contaminated by pollutants.
It’s always best to have at least 2 hard drives with your data. If one breaks or gets stolen, you should always have a backup on hand.
3. Cloud Storage
One of the biggest mistakes that small businesses make is not storing their data on cloud storage services.
This allows you to access your data anywhere as long as you have an internet connection. Unlike a hard drive, you can keep upgrading your storage capacity as you see fit.
Cloud storage solutions also offer many security and privacy protocols. You can protect your data using a password. You can download the data for offline access and then remove the data as you wish.
You should consider having at least 2 different cloud storage solutions for your company’s data. It’s also always best to use a paid service so that you can depend on premium security features.
4. Data Compliance
Another one of the most common data management mistakes is not being compliant. One of the most common cyber threats includes stealing the data of a company’s customer base.
You want to ensure that you comply with your local laws regarding data collection. As a general rule, you should consider collecting as little data as possible.
While you might rely on data to target your customers with marketing, your main priority should be to protect them. We all have a responsibility to protect each other’s privacy.
Give your customers the option to provide as little data as needed to use your products and services.
They should also have the option to delete their user accounts and all data. You might have to retain some data for purposes of law enforcement, but otherwise, you shouldn’t keep customer data on your servers.
Make sure you put your customers at ease with how their data gets collected. Privacy is a growing concern and it’s a huge mistake to not offer data security to your customers.
5. Managing Business Data
Do you collect data but have no idea how to use it or what to use it for? This is a mistake that many startups make.
You want to keep records of your business data to plan how to use it. For example, let’s say you collect data regarding the demographics of your customer base.
This demographic data can help you market your products and services to your company. For example, you might serve more women than men. This can help you create marketing strategies that are better suited for women.
Business data can also include your company’s financial data. You’ll see how much money you’re earning and how much you’re spending.
You can share such data with a financial advisor who can help you make better financial decisions for your business.
6. Not Teaching Best Practices
Your company’s data isn’t just your responsibility: it’s also the responsibility of all your staff.
You want to first teach them about the guidelines for setting passwords. Passwords should be as long as possible and should combine letters, numbers, and special characters.
You should also advise your staff to change their passwords at least once per month. They should inform you of these changes. You can use a password manager to keep records of your saved passwords.
Your staff should also be instructed to backup their data at least once per week. They should back up the data on hard drives and cloud storage solutions.
It’s also best that your staff uses secure web browsers such as Brave or Tor. They should connect to a VPN at all times when accessing business data. This hides their identity from hackers.
Avoid These Common Data Management Mistakes
Now you can avoid these common data management mistakes and protect your company’s data.
You want to start by keeping records of your data whenever it’s created, modified, and deleted. Take care of your external hard drives but also opt for cloud storage.
Make sure you follow the rules of data compliance in your jurisdiction. You also want to prepare a data management strategy to determine how to use your data. Your staff should always be informed on the best practices to protect data.
You can find even more tips on managing business data on our blog!
