Data Loss Prevention

Gone are the days of pen and paper, the modern business operates in a digital environment and preventing the loss of, or unauthorised access to that data can be a major headache.

In order to stay ahead of the cyber-criminals, hackers and careless or dishonest staff members, you need to have stringent security and multiple backup procedures in place, but there are still many small to medium sized businesses that don’t have adequate security, backups or data control in place.

To satisfy the Data Protection Act and GDPR compliance requirements, companies need to identify, control and secure any digital data that they hold on individuals or companies.

SECURITY

In a digital age where your data is important to your business then securing that data must be given top priority. Installing free anti-virus software and backing up a few files onto a USB stick every month is not enough.

Todays hackers spread viruses, trojans, worms and malware just for fun, they exploit vulnerabilities in operating systems, software, apps, widgets and plugins to gain access to your data or to find an opening to install Keyloggers or Ransomware onto your systems.

Once the hacker has stolen your data it will be sold very quickly to the highest bidder and if you are unlucky enough to be hit with Ransomware which encrypts your files then you will have little or no chance of recovering your data unless you have backed it up to a secure remote location with a high level of security.

BACKING UP YOUR DATA

Nowadays, most computer tasks can be set to automatically backup as they are being performed, this is useful if you are working on a big project and your software has that feature, if not you have to get into the habit of saving your work frequently. Your computer can also be set to back up your data on an hourly or daily basis and this is useful if you are processing a lot of data.

Once you have set that up you then need to look at how these backups are going to be stored and given the size of most modern day files especially images and videos, gone are the days of backing up to a Zip drive while you put on your coat before you head off home.

Fortunately there are now many backup solutions available, from mirrored (RAID) drives or NAS with remote access, to cloud storage plus many others. We would also recommend using an Uninterrupted Power Supply or UPS to allow the transfer of data in the event of a power failure along with a 3 tier system, where a copy of your data is stored away from your premises.

In a modern digital world it is critical to have a Data Loss Prevention (DLP) system in place to keep your companies intellectual property protected and your data secure from theft or deletion.

If you would like us to help you formulate a DLP plan and discuss the various options available to you then please contact us and we will be happy to arrange an appointment.