Keeping all of your business information in a safe place is one of the most important things a business can do. How are you supposed to do that when so much information is stored on computers, online, and in hard copies? There are so many ways hackers or thieves might be able to steal your information. For this reason, it is important that you do everything you can to keep your business's information as secure as possible. Below are some tips to help you get started.
Use Passwordless Authentication
When files are saved online or on a computer, no matter what website is being used or not, a password is usually used to protect files. However, text-based passwords are pretty easy to hack. This is especially true if you use the same password (or a variation of the same password) on multiple devices or sites. One of the best ways to improve your business's security is to get a passwordless authentication tool.
Having passwordless authentication doesn't mean that you don't have a password at all. Instead, it means that your password isn't text-based. Some of the most common passwordless authentications include patterns or biometrics. With patterns, you may trace a design out of a set of dots. This can be much harder to guess than a text-based password. Biometrics are even harder to hack, as they can use fingerprints, retina scanners, or face-identification to open a device. While that might sound like something out of a futuristic spy movie, many phones, tablets, and computers already have this technology installed and ready to use whenever.
Install a Security System
If you are especially worried about the security for your hard copy files, and a lock and key isn't safe enough for you, then you may want to consider installing a security system. Using a security system can help to deter criminals from even attempting to steal from your business.
While many businesses don't have much information that a criminal would want, any business that deals with personal information (like social security numbers, credit card information, etc.) need to be especially careful with their information. Criminals like to steal this kind of information in order to commit identity theft. For this reason, businesses that deal with this kind of information could benefit from using both online and offline security.
Keep Online and Offline Copies
If for some awful reason your physical files do get stolen or your computer or accounts get hacked, having backups can be a lifesaver. If you have most of your files saved on the computer (whether online or offline), make sure to print off copies of anything that is important. Keeps these files in a safe place, like a locked file cabinet. Even if no hackers steal your information on the computer, this still works as a great backup in case your computer breaks.
If you have a lot of hard copies, try to save them on a computer as well. The easiest way to get high-quality copies of hard copies saved on a computer is to scan the images and upload them as a PDF. Some copy machines and printers already have this feature included. So, make sure to check your existing technology before you buy a new scanner. You can also take a photo and upload it as a JPG or PNG image or type up a copy of the document and save it as a DOC file. However, PDF is by far the best, as photos can turn out blurry, and retyping a document can be tedious.
If you want to keep your business and your customer's information safe, try these tactics to keep files both on a computer, online, and offline safe. So, invest in a sturdy file cabinet, lock, security system, scanner, and passwordless authentication on your devices. While this list may sound long, it will all be worth it to keep the information as safe as can be!