In today's computer-run society, most of our important business and personal information is kept in digital format, whether that's client databases or utilities bills. This means that some of the most confidential of materials is no longer available to lock away in filing cabinets and instead sits, often unprotected, on computer hard-drives. If the security of your digital data is a concern, there are several easy solutions to ensure that it doesn't fall into the right hands:
Securing your networks
One of the biggest threats to your computer data isn't real world nosey-parkers, but rather internet based viruses and bugs which are downloaded through unprotected computer systems and unsecured networks. Always ensure you have a complex password on your Wi-Fi network to ensure that no unwanted users can access your internet connection and potentially your computer-to-computer network. Plus, don't let your PC be susceptible to hacking or suspicious malware; install the best security packages that you can afford, these should include web firewalls and anti-virus protection. When you have the correct anti-virus suite in place be sure to set-up automatic scans on a regular basis too, to keep an eye on your computer health.
High-tech USB flash drives
USB sticks are no longer just easy-to-lose storage devices used by students. The latest in USB technology can provide high-tech data protection with features that would not be out of place in a James Bond film. Take the All-In-One secure USB stick which includes GPS tracking, remote data deletion and the ability to lock your content within certain locations; now it's possible to only allow certain staff, colleagues or family members access to your USB stored files. The capacity of USB flash drives has also grown incredibly over the last few years, it's now possible to hold a full computers worth of data on a USB stick smaller than your thumb!
Use Password Protection
This is by far the easiest solution to protecting your computer data and yet something that is often overlooked; make sure you use password protection on all your computer log-ins and any sensitive files and folders. The likelihood is that your laptop, Mac or PC won't get stolen anytime soon, but should you find this precious technological wonder gone from the workplace or home, confidential files would be at risk without this basic precaution.
Strengthen your physical security
Are you sure that no unauthorised personnel can get to your confidential info should they want to? Make sure that basic security measures are in place on any property in which you keep data. Make regular changes to locks and keypads too and keep track of exactly who can access your computers, servers and portable data storage. You may wish to inspect the security systems of your external servers too, how are they keeping your data safe?
Regularly back-up
Finally, be sure to make those simple but time consuming back-ups. This way if your computer or server should go down, you'll have access to the data that is most important to you.
This article is brought to you from Exacttrak, a leading specialist mobile data protection and data loss prevention company. Click here to find out more about Exacttrak's USB features, including remote data delete and GPS tracking.
