{"id":24592,"date":"2016-10-27T18:43:17","date_gmt":"2016-10-27T22:43:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.andysowards.com\/blog\/?p=24592"},"modified":"2023-08-02T10:54:36","modified_gmt":"2023-08-02T14:54:36","slug":"protect-business-data","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.andysowards.com\/blog\/2016\/protect-business-data\/","title":{"rendered":"Lockdown! Avoid Disaster by Keeping Your Business Data Protected"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>You\u2019ve probably already heard about the importance of data in business. If you\u2019re running your own business, then you no doubt have some experience with it. Small businesses are no longer largely unaware of this sort of thing. But where small businesses <i>do<\/i> often make mistakes is in the protection of that data.<\/p>\n<p>When you\u2019re <a href=\"https:\/\/www.andysowards.com\/blog\/2013\/why-small-businesses-need-to-integrate-marketing-campaigns\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">running a small business<\/a>, it can be easy to assume that you\u2019re not going to be much of a target. You may have heard about all the seemingly insane measures that big companies take to protect their data. But they\u2019re big companies, which makes them big targets, right? Well, yes, to an extent. But that doesn\u2019t mean you don\u2019t have a target painted on <i>your <\/i>back.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/technology\/2016\/oct\/25\/ddos-cyber-attack-dyn-internet-of-things\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-24593 lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.andysowards.com\/blog\/assets\/protect-against-ddos-cyber-attack-dyn-internet-of-things.jpg\" alt=\"protect-against-ddos-cyber-attack-dyn-internet-of-things\" width=\"620\" height=\"372\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 620px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 620\/372;\" \/><\/a><br \/>\n<em>Can we secure the internet of things? Easy-to-hijack \u2018smart\u2019 devices just crashed some of the world\u2019s biggest online platforms. Experts say it\u2019s a wake-up call to improve security \u2013 and quickly<\/em><\/p>\n<p>The fact is that a lot of cyber criminals know full well that small businesses are often lax when it comes to data security. And the sort of data you have is always going to be worth <i>something <\/i>to <i>someone<\/i>. It could be a competitor who wants your valuable information to boost their own sales. It could be a black market merchant looking for product in the form of ill-gotten data. It could even be that strange and disgruntled employee you recently had to fire recently, just looking for revenge. Okay, so the last one might be a little outlandish. But the risk is there &#8211; and you have to tackle it.<\/p>\n<h3>The security audit<\/h3>\n<p>So how vulnerable is your business right now? It\u2019s worth finding this out. It will allow you to see more thoroughly what kind of steps you should be taking next. It will also help you assess whether or not something has already gone wrong! You can get an IT professional to inspect your infrastructure for security weaknesses.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-24594 lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.andysowards.com\/blog\/assets\/6-biggest-business-security-risks-and-how-you-can-fight-back.jpg\" alt=\"6-biggest-business-security-risks-and-how-you-can-fight-back\" width=\"620\" height=\"413\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 620px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 620\/413;\" \/><br \/>\n<em>6 Biggest Business Security Risks and How You Can Fight Back<\/em><\/p>\n<h3>Vigilant staff<\/h3>\n<p>Your staff are the key to the success of your business. You know this already. Well, they\u2019re also the key to great security. You need to make sure that your employees know the importance of data security. You should also minimize the chances of human error by teaching them about the best security practices. After all, human error is the single biggest cause of data security breaches!<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.huffingtonpost.com\/meghan-m-biro-\/data-security-must-be-a-t_b_10932396.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-24595 lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.andysowards.com\/blog\/assets\/data-security-must-be-aTop-Priority-for-HR.jpg\" alt=\"data-security-must-be-atop-priority-for-hr\" width=\"570\" height=\"302\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 570px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 570\/302;\" \/><\/a><br \/>\n<em>Data Security Must Be a Top Priority for HR<\/em><\/p>\n<h3>Reliable outsourcers<\/h3>\n<p>More businesses than ever are relying on other companies to store their data. This is especially true of modern startups. The average startup is working with so much data that outsourcing the storage just makes so much sense. But you need to make sure you\u2019re thorough when it comes to checking the security of these outsourcers. It needs to be the priority of this business. If they can\u2019t supply you with a secure virtual data room, you should look elsewhere.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.computerweekly.com\/feature\/Best-practice-in-outsourcing-security\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-24596 lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.andysowards.com\/blog\/assets\/Best-practice-in-outsourcing-security.jpg\" alt=\"Serious computer technician with servers\" width=\"290\" height=\"230\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 290px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 290\/230;\" \/><\/a><br \/>\n<em>Best practice in outsourcing security<\/em><\/p>\n<h3>Data encryption<\/h3>\n<p>\u201cEncryption\u201d is one of the most important words in the world of data security. It helps prevent people from getting their eyes on your data. Don\u2019t just rely on the first firewall program you find. You need to make sure that <a href=\"http:\/\/www.pcworld.com\/article\/2025462\/how-to-encrypt-almost-anything.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">encryption<\/a> is a feature of all your sensitive data, including your emails. Hard drives, including USB drives, also need to be encrypted. This can prevent them from being read if they\u2019re stolen.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/techpp.com\/2016\/07\/09\/facebook-messenger-end-to-end-encryption\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-24597 lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.andysowards.com\/blog\/assets\/facebook-messenger-end-to-end-encryption.jpg\" alt=\"facebook-messenger-end-to-end-encryption\" width=\"600\" height=\"259\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 600px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 600\/259;\" \/><\/a><br \/>\n<em>Facebook is Making Messenger a Lot More Secure with End-to-End Encryption<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>You\u2019ve probably already heard about the importance of data in business. If you\u2019re running your own business, then you no doubt have some experience with it. Small businesses are no<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":24594,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_bbp_topic_count":0,"_bbp_reply_count":0,"_bbp_total_topic_count":0,"_bbp_total_reply_count":0,"_bbp_voice_count":0,"_bbp_anonymous_reply_count":0,"_bbp_topic_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_reply_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_forum_subforum_count":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[109,5695,1],"tags":[5891,974,4368,5368,4377,5895,3411,224,177,5879,21,115],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Lockdown! Avoid Disaster by Keeping Your Business Data Protected<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"You\u2019ve probably already heard about the importance of data in business. If you\u2019re running your own business, then you no doubt have some experience with\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.andysowards.com\/blog\/2016\/protect-business-data\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Lockdown! Avoid Disaster by Keeping Your Business Data Protected\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"You\u2019ve probably already heard about the importance of data in business. If you\u2019re running your own business, then you no doubt have some experience with\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.andysowards.com\/blog\/2016\/protect-business-data\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Daily Business Resources for Entrepreneurs, Web Designers, &amp; Creatives by Andy Sowards\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"http:\/\/facebook.com\/andysowardsfan\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2016-10-27T22:43:17+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2023-08-02T14:54:36+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.andysowards.com\/blog\/assets\/6-biggest-business-security-risks-and-how-you-can-fight-back.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"620\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"413\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Andy Sowards\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@andysowards\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@andysowards\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Andy Sowards\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.andysowards.com\/blog\/2016\/protect-business-data\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.andysowards.com\/blog\/2016\/protect-business-data\/\",\"name\":\"Lockdown! Avoid Disaster by Keeping Your Business Data Protected\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.andysowards.com\/blog\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.andysowards.com\/blog\/2016\/protect-business-data\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.andysowards.com\/blog\/2016\/protect-business-data\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.andysowards.com\/blog\/assets\/6-biggest-business-security-risks-and-how-you-can-fight-back.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2016-10-27T22:43:17+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-08-02T14:54:36+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.andysowards.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/2e0f72bd7f6497fd883e2bd67d9f3415\"},\"description\":\"You\u2019ve probably already heard about the importance of data in business. If you\u2019re running your own business, then you no doubt have some experience with\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.andysowards.com\/blog\/2016\/protect-business-data\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.andysowards.com\/blog\/2016\/protect-business-data\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.andysowards.com\/blog\/2016\/protect-business-data\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.andysowards.com\/blog\/assets\/6-biggest-business-security-risks-and-how-you-can-fight-back.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.andysowards.com\/blog\/assets\/6-biggest-business-security-risks-and-how-you-can-fight-back.jpg\",\"width\":620,\"height\":413},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.andysowards.com\/blog\/2016\/protect-business-data\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.andysowards.com\/blog\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Lockdown! Avoid Disaster by Keeping Your Business Data Protected\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.andysowards.com\/blog\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.andysowards.com\/blog\/\",\"name\":\"Daily Business Resources for Entrepreneurs, Web Designers, &amp; Creatives by Andy Sowards\",\"description\":\"Design Inspiration &amp; Business Resources for Creatives\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.andysowards.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.andysowards.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/2e0f72bd7f6497fd883e2bd67d9f3415\",\"name\":\"Andy Sowards\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.andysowards.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/15f95b011563b5894883b22bd4b32d59?s=96&r=pg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/15f95b011563b5894883b22bd4b32d59?s=96&r=pg\",\"caption\":\"Andy Sowards\"},\"description\":\"Im a professional Freelancer specializing in Web Developer, Design, Programming web applications. Im an Avid member of the Design\/Development community and a Serial Blogger. follow me on Twitter @AndySowards\",\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.andysowards.com\"],\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.andysowards.com\/blog\/author\/admin\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Lockdown! Avoid Disaster by Keeping Your Business Data Protected","description":"You\u2019ve probably already heard about the importance of data in business. If you\u2019re running your own business, then you no doubt have some experience with","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.andysowards.com\/blog\/2016\/protect-business-data\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Lockdown! Avoid Disaster by Keeping Your Business Data Protected","og_description":"You\u2019ve probably already heard about the importance of data in business. If you\u2019re running your own business, then you no doubt have some experience with","og_url":"https:\/\/www.andysowards.com\/blog\/2016\/protect-business-data\/","og_site_name":"Daily Business Resources for Entrepreneurs, Web Designers, &amp; Creatives by Andy Sowards","article_publisher":"http:\/\/facebook.com\/andysowardsfan","article_published_time":"2016-10-27T22:43:17+00:00","article_modified_time":"2023-08-02T14:54:36+00:00","og_image":[{"width":620,"height":413,"url":"https:\/\/www.andysowards.com\/blog\/assets\/6-biggest-business-security-risks-and-how-you-can-fight-back.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Andy Sowards","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@andysowards","twitter_site":"@andysowards","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Andy Sowards","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.andysowards.com\/blog\/2016\/protect-business-data\/","url":"https:\/\/www.andysowards.com\/blog\/2016\/protect-business-data\/","name":"Lockdown! Avoid Disaster by Keeping Your Business Data Protected","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.andysowards.com\/blog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.andysowards.com\/blog\/2016\/protect-business-data\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.andysowards.com\/blog\/2016\/protect-business-data\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.andysowards.com\/blog\/assets\/6-biggest-business-security-risks-and-how-you-can-fight-back.jpg","datePublished":"2016-10-27T22:43:17+00:00","dateModified":"2023-08-02T14:54:36+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.andysowards.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/2e0f72bd7f6497fd883e2bd67d9f3415"},"description":"You\u2019ve probably already heard about the importance of data in business. If you\u2019re running your own business, then you no doubt have some experience with","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.andysowards.com\/blog\/2016\/protect-business-data\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.andysowards.com\/blog\/2016\/protect-business-data\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.andysowards.com\/blog\/2016\/protect-business-data\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.andysowards.com\/blog\/assets\/6-biggest-business-security-risks-and-how-you-can-fight-back.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.andysowards.com\/blog\/assets\/6-biggest-business-security-risks-and-how-you-can-fight-back.jpg","width":620,"height":413},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.andysowards.com\/blog\/2016\/protect-business-data\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.andysowards.com\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Lockdown! Avoid Disaster by Keeping Your Business Data Protected"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.andysowards.com\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.andysowards.com\/blog\/","name":"Daily Business Resources for Entrepreneurs, Web Designers, &amp; Creatives by Andy Sowards","description":"Design Inspiration &amp; Business Resources for Creatives","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.andysowards.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.andysowards.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/2e0f72bd7f6497fd883e2bd67d9f3415","name":"Andy Sowards","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.andysowards.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/15f95b011563b5894883b22bd4b32d59?s=96&r=pg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/15f95b011563b5894883b22bd4b32d59?s=96&r=pg","caption":"Andy Sowards"},"description":"Im a professional Freelancer specializing in Web Developer, Design, Programming web applications. Im an Avid member of the Design\/Development community and a Serial Blogger. follow me on Twitter @AndySowards","sameAs":["https:\/\/www.andysowards.com"],"url":"https:\/\/www.andysowards.com\/blog\/author\/admin\/"}]}},"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.andysowards.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24592"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.andysowards.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.andysowards.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.andysowards.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.andysowards.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=24592"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.andysowards.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24592\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":46765,"href":"https:\/\/www.andysowards.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24592\/revisions\/46765"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.andysowards.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/24594"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.andysowards.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=24592"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.andysowards.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=24592"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.andysowards.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=24592"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}