More than half of the U.S. small businesses covered in a survey by Ponemon Institute experienced data breaches. The survey was conducted for Hartford Steam Boiler Inspection and Insurance Company (HSB) which provides data compromise insurance to small and mid-sized organizations. The study showed that more than half of small businesses in U.S had different kinds of data breaches – around 55% had some form of data breach and around 53% suffered multiple data breaches.
Reasons identified for the increased security breaches were stolen or lost laptops, smartphones or other storage media, employee or contractor mistakes, and procedural errors.
The Ponemon Institute survey sends out an important signal to small businesses on the caution necessary when storing, maintaining and protecting business data. Here are some strategies that can help address the security issues in small business organizations:
- Ensure Limited Access: As data stored in laptops, smartphones or backup tapes can be lost or stolen, protect such data with strong passwords and encryption. This will prevent unauthorized access. Include remote management options to facilitate remote deletion.
- Comprehensive Backup Strategy: When there is a data breach, you should be aware of which information was lost and how you can recover it. Having a comprehensive backup strategy can protect your data more efficiently.
- Secure Shredding: Ensure that unused confidential data of sensitive customer, patient or employee are destroyed onsite and disposed of securely.
- Implement and Upgrade Security Software: Install firewalls in the system that stores your data to prevent insecure remote access. Upgrade the antivirus software to enhance the security features.
The best option available for these organizations to ensure security is to get support from a professional document conversion company that can offer reliable document management solutions. It can help them implement all of the above-mentioned strategies efficiently at affordable cost.
