4 Things a Business Needs to Understand About Data Breaches

Data breaches have become a fact of life for businesses. Ruthless hackers infiltrate systems, injecting malware and stealing vital information from companies. You must protect your organization from them. When you can’t, you must behave proactively to lessen the damage. Here are four things a business needs to understand about data breaches.

Plan for the Worst

You may consider yourself and your staff technologically savvy enough to avoid outside intrusion. That overconfidence allows hackers to infiltrate your systems. According to the Breach Level Index, cyber criminals have stolen more than 5.9 billion data records since 2013. Hackers take more than four million records each day. Many of their victims are technologically savvy employees. By thinking that you’re too smart to fall victim to piracy, you play right into the hands of criminals.

Use Multiple Databases

The worst issue with a data breach is that a hacker gains access to everything. They have your records, user list, and all other items contained within your database. An easy solution exists to less the potential damage from a data breach. Don’t store all your information in a single place.

Beyond the obvious advantage that a hacker has to penetrate twice as many databases to garner the same information, other benefits exist. With multiple databases, you can grant specific permissions to each database, thereby limiting the number of access points. When you only use one database, many of your employees need those privileges. You reduce the security risks while doubling the amount of effort criminals must expend.

Prioritize Strong Authentication Routines

As a business owner, you likely take steps to require strong password practices. Even if you demand that employees change their passwords each month and use special characters as a part of your security process, it’s still only a half-measure. Your most important files ultimately wind up in the cloud, the place where businesses import and export their documents in real-time.

For this reason, you need to select a cloud service that will protect your data in ways that you cannot. You’re entrusting them with your most precious records. That’s why you should select a company that employs strong authentication routines. These practices will force all your employees as well as the occasional client to prove they have the proper certificate to get access to the service. It’s the cloud security equivalent of Google’s 2-step authentication.

Come Clean

Should you experience a data breach, how you react will determine how much damage your company suffers. You must show composure in dealing with understandably angry clients. More important, you must offer transparency. Your clients won’t like hearing that you’ve compromised them, but you’ll lose their business forever if they find out from someone other than you.

Many businesses have accepted that data breaches are now a daily part of industry. Your security steps will inconvenience potential thieves. You also have an opportunity to demonstrate a new side of your business skills, though. You can show grace under pressure, reassuring your clients that you’re concerned about their privacy.

Data breaches are an aggravating part of the modern business world. By understanding the four topics above, you can better position your company to excel in these challenging times.