Data is valuable to all organizations. Loss of it or compromise can bring a business to a halt. It is for this reason that managers need to employ data management services and practices to keep their data safe. Data management has become a lot easier with tools such as Ottomatik MySQL backup which automate backup processes.
There is one issue though that most businesses tend to forget. The fact that their data is always at risk when employees leave for other organizations. There is the risk of them sharing your information with competitors or stealing it. You, therefore, need to take extra caution when it comes to your employees and the safety of your data. Hackers should not be the only people you should be worrying about, your employees, especially when they leave are a potential risk. To protect your business from disgruntled employees, you need to take the following measures.
1. Data protection should be included in contracts
First things first, your employees should be able to sign contracts with a clause concerned with data security. It should be able to bar the employees from selling your data, misusing it or even trespassing. Such prohibitions go a long way in ensuring that your company data does not land in the wrong hands.
2. Use cloud
Ditch the traditional methods of data storage and backup. Why? Well, with cloud storage the employees will have limited access to your data as opposed to external medium like hard drives. Remember when you store data in the cloud, you have to give people your passwords for them to access it. With this, it is easier even to control the time which employees can access it. You have an option of changing the passwords as much as you can.
3. Encrypt your data
Even if the employees get to access your data in one way or the other, provided your data has been encrypted, it will be meaningless to them. Even if the trespassers have your data, they will need you to give them the encryption key for them to access it or put it into use.
4. Change passwords
It is always advisable to change passwords from time to time. Look at it this way, if an employee was able to access your company data while in employment, they will still be able to even when their contract ends. To avoid this kind of breach, you will be required to change your password from time to time to lock out any potential threats.
5. Control access to data
Do not be too trusting. To keep your data safe at all times, or even when an employee leaves, you need to limit access from the word go. It is worth noting that employees are usually weak points when it comes to data security. They could be used or work with outsiders to trespassers. You are at a higher risk if most of the employees have access to your information.
You should make use of user permissions to control access rights. You should also have a designated data management team to ensure that only the people that need to use the data get to it.
6. Monitor data use
How do you do this? You can monitor the activities of your employees when they are using data. By so doing, you will be able to identify early warning signs of a potential breach. Luckily for you, there are plenty of tools that you could use to that.
For instance, you can be getting notifications if a particular station at the workplace accesses specific information. It will, therefore, be easy for you to pinpoint any ill intentions and act in good time.
7. Keep sensitive data away
To further ensure that all valuable data is safe, you need to isolate the sensitive data. The lesser the people that get into contact with it the safer it is. You should also consider having fewer copies of sensitive data. Access should also be limited to only you or just a few people in the organization.
There is a likelihood of employees leaving your organization getting it in the wrong hands. You should, therefore, take the above precautions to ensure that your data stays safe and protected at all times.