Information security is one of the most important issues for any organization operating in today’s market. With the development of information technology and telecommunications, businesses are facing many risks of having their sensitive information violated, stolen or exploited. The article below will share some of the most effective information security solutions for businesses today.
What information needs to be protected in business data?
Why must information be kept confidential? Business data is an important asset of every organization, because it contains sensitive information about customers, employees, partners, products, services and business strategies. Protecting business data is not only an essential need but also a legal responsibility for businesses. There are many types of information that need to be protected in business data, including:
Personal information
This is identifying information about an individual or organization, including name, address, phone number, email, identity card number, bank account number, credit card number, transaction history, address, etc. preferences, purchasing behavior and health information. Personal information can be used to commit fraud, misappropriate property, violate privacy rights or damage the reputation of individuals or organizations.
Economic information
This is information related to the business’s finances, such as bank account numbers, credit card numbers, transaction information… Financial information needs to be protected to avoid fraud and theft.
Trade secret information
This is information that has business value, such as technological know-how, business strategies, marketing plans, etc. Trade secret information needs to be protected to avoid unfair competition.
Security information
This is information related to the enterprise’s security system, including passwords, authentication codes, encryption, digital signatures, security certificates and security devices. Security information can be sabotaged to gain unauthorized access to enterprise data systems, causing cyber attacks, data theft or destruction, or causing security incidents for businesses.
Threats to business information security
Information security is one of the very important issues for every business. Threats to corporate information security are increasing, including:
Threat from inside
Insider threats are intentional or unintentional acts of employees, collaborators or anyone with access to the enterprise’s information system. These acts can cause serious damage to information security, such as:
- Disclosure of confidential information: Employees may disclose sensitive information to third parties for personal gain, pressure or mistake. For example, an employee sells a customer list to a competitor, or an employee sends an email containing business plan information to an unrelated person.
- System intrusion: Employees can use their access rights to penetrate important business systems, such as servers, databases or internal networks. They may do this out of curiosity, revenge, or wanting to cause trouble. For example, a fired employee can delete or modify important data before leaving the company.
- Damage to equipment: Employees may damage or destroy information security-related equipment, such as computers, hard drives, surveillance cameras or security equipment. They can do this by accident, negligence or intentionally. For example, an employee drops a laptop containing important data on the floor.
Threats from outside
External threats are acts that violate a business’s information security from attackers who do not have access to the business’s information system. These acts can cause serious damage to information security, such as:
- Cyber attacks: Attackers can use different techniques to penetrate a business’s network, such as exploiting security vulnerabilities, sniffing passwords, spoofing IP addresses or using malware . Their goal may be to steal, delete or modify data, disrupt or take control of critical business systems.
- DDoS attacks: Attackers can use infected or subscription computers to send a large number of requests to a business’s server, overloading its processing capacity. Their goal may be to slow down or shut down a business’s online services, affecting customers and revenue.
- Phishing attacks: Attackers can send fake emails or set up fake websites to scam business users. Their goal may be to collect users’ personal information, account, password or payment information, or to spread malware to their computers.
7 effective business information security solutions
Intrusion, theft or disclosure of information can cause serious damage to business operations, reputation and reputation of the enterprise. Therefore, applying effective information security protection measures is necessary. Below are 7 effective business information security solutions that you can refer to and apply.
Update software and operating system regularly
This is the simplest way to protect your computers and devices from security holes that can be exploited by hackers. You should periodically check and install the latest versions of software and operating systems, and turn off the automatic launch of attachments in emails or web browsers.
Use strong and multi-layered passwords
Passwords are the master keys to access your accounts and data, so you should create strong, hard-to-guess, and unique passwords for different accounts. You should also use two-factor authentication (2FA) or multi-factor authentication (MFA) to increase the security of your account. These are methods that require you to enter an additional authentication code sent via SMS, email, application or security device when logging in.
Encrypt data and use VPN
Data encryption is the process of converting data into a form that cannot be read without an encryption key. This is an effective way to secure databases when stored or transmitted over the network. You can use drive, file or email encryption software to encrypt data.
Back up data regularly
This is an important precaution to protect your data from risks such as loss, damage, accidental deletion or encryption by ransomware. You should regularly back up data on external storage devices such as portable hard drives, USB drives or CD/DVD discs, or on cloud storage services such as Google Drive, Dropbox or OneDrive. You should also test and restore data from backups to ensure that they are still in good working order.
Train employees on cybersecurity
Employees are one of the important elements in a business’s information security system, but are also one of the elements that are easily neglected or overlooked. Many cases of information intrusion or leakage occur because employees do not have knowledge or skills about network security, or do not comply with the business’s security policies and regulations. Therefore, training employees on cybersecurity is a necessary solution to increase their awareness and responsibility in protecting business information.
Establish and implement security policies
To effectively secure business information, you need to have a clear legal framework and processes to manage and control the use, access, sharing and processing of information within the business. You need to establish and implement security policies for different target groups, such as employees, customers, partners or suppliers, and apply measures to check, monitor and handle violations.
Use professional security solutions
Businesses should use professional security solutions provided by reputable companies or organizations. These solutions may include antivirus software, firewalls, intrusion detection and prevention systems (IDS/IPS), security event management systems (SIEM), email protection systems ( EPP), web protection system (WAF), endpoint protection system (EDR) and many other solutions.
Businesses can also hire security testing, troubleshooting or security consulting services from experienced and reputable experts or companies in this field. Information security experts can help businesses develop and implement effective security measures. Businesses should consult information security experts to ensure the safety of their information systems. And in case you are looking for it, Kounselly with top experts in Cybersecurity would be one of the best choice! Find out more about our Security Audit and Compliance consulting here!
Business information security is an important issue that requires businesses to pay attention and invest properly. By choosing the right security solution, businesses can effectively protect their important data.