Measures Taken By Companies To Stop Data Breaches

Data breaches have made a negative impact on our lives. No one is immune to these hacks unless we prepare arm ourselves with layers of protection. Imagine letting these hackers go unnoticed. It will surely have a ripple effect on both our personal lives and our economy. Aside from hitting the stock market, we will also be forced to monitor our online activities closely so we do not fall prey to cyber criminals.

It is inevitable for us to rely on modern technology. This is why data breaches become possible. Each day, we rely on mass quantities of interaction, internet-based storage and the like. The possibility of data breaches increases the more we connect and rely on data. Fortunately, many companies no longer remain complacent because hackers can strike anytime, anywhere. This means that the efforts of improving security standards have been taken. Preventive measures have also have put in place. As we always say, prevention is far better than cure. Here's why companies must focus on preventive measures:

The Importance of Prevention

There is a great difference when companies take necessary measures to prevent a data breach from happening. One obvious reason to provide our organisation with increased data protection is to prevent spending hundreds of millions to repair the damages brought by data breaches. More often than not, we see companies more focused on cure than prevention. Worse, some of them are even investing in the wrong areas and it is already too late to discover that the organisation is vulnerable to hackers.

Companies should include the following preventive efforts:

Better Technology-The level of technology that most companies use can either protect or expose them to threats. There are companies that are satisfied with the minimum level of security and protection. Installing firewalls and antivirus software is not enough unless we opt for more sophisticated technology. We also need to keep in mind that it takes extra effort and time to invest in high levels of protection.

Employee Awareness-Hacks and breaches are not just due to forced entries. Some of them are due to human negligence and errors. Employees do play a vital role in making sure that hackers are not given the chance to make an entry. For instance, choosing a weak password and not developing a habit of changing it regularly will result in falling victim to phishing scam. This alone can put the entire company at risk. The good news is human errors are preventable. We need to educate our employees about the negative implication of choosing a weak password and how following best security practices can prevent breaches.

Response Plans-While we always put more emphasis on prevention rather than response, it is still important to have a back-up plan when all else fails. Having a breach response plan ensures that our company is prepared for any form of cyberattack. The response plans give our companies the direction for stopping the attack and preventing breaches from happening again.